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When fried-chicken utopia Dub's closed suddenly last year, Portland soul food lovers mourned hard. But if you've followed the history of the business, you know the place doesn't stay defunct for long.
As a quick refresher, Dub's first opened on Northeast MLK Boulevard under the name Mack and Dub's Chicken & Waffles in 2012. The building caught fire less than a year later, and was replaced by Purringtons Cat Cafe, which has also since closed. The restaurant temporarily relocated to the Ranger Tavern on North Lombard before formally reopening in St. Johns in 2017.
In October, owner William "Dub" Travis announced on Facebook that the restaurant would be closing permanently, writing, "We aren't making enough money to keep the doors open."
"I never thought that we'd be leaving this location," he wrote. "I thought that we'd be here forever!"
But yesterday, Travis took to social media to confirm that Dub's is once again returning—albeit temporarily, and not in their own spot.
Instead, Travis will be acting as chef-in-residence at St. Johns tavern Marie's.
"The menu is going to be limited and it's mostly going to be during the dinner hours. I'm still figuring it out," Travis tells WW. "The opportunity is awesome and I thought I'd jump on it because so many people are still asking for the food."
Travis says he plans on serving brisket and ribs as well as his famous fried chicken, but notes that the venue, located at 8727 N Lombard St., is "not set up to be a full-blown fried chicken spot."
The residency begins this weekend will go through spring "at least," Travis says.
Dub's is not the only popular Portland soul food spot to return to action in recent months. In November, Reo's Ribs reopened in the Hollywood neighborhood after a 2016 fire forced its closure.