PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio has paused odor complaints in the city relating to food establishments after the owner of Vietnamese restaurant in Northeast Portland was forced to close down due to mounting fines.
Vietnamese restaurant Phở Gabo had been operating at Fremont Street and Northeast 74th Avenue for five years. But on Feb. 3, the owner closed its doors.
Owner Eddie Dong said repetitive complaints from a nearby resident about the smell of cooking meat coming from the restaurant turned into a $900 fine.
Within Portland city code, "continuous, frequent or repetitive odors may not be produced" by restaurants.
In a statement from Commissioner Carmen Rubio's office, her Chief of Staff Jillian Schoene said, “Commissioner Rubio is very concerned and is raising serious questions about the negative impacts of this policy."
On Wednesday, five Vietnamese American state legislators called Portland's odor code "discriminatory" toward minority-owned small businesses in a statement released by Rep. Daniel Nguyen, Rep. Hai Pham, Rep. Thuy Tran, Rep. Hoa Nguyen and Rep. Knanh Pham of the Oregon House of Representatives.
"As elected leaders within the Vietnamese community, we believe the closure of Phở Gabo sets a dangerous precedent and sends a troubling message about the value placed on cultural diversity within Portland," the statement said.
Schoene said that Rubio is looking to adjust the city's code "as soon as possible," but to do so, any recommendations will have to go through the city's Planning Commission prior to going to City Council for final approval and that timeline is unknown.
Dong told KGW that he doesn't think he will reopen his restaurant location in Northeast. Phở Gabo has two other locations in the area, one in Happy Valley and one in Hillsboro.
On Wednesday afternoon, Repr. Dan Nguyen, who is also a restaurant owner, said he is glad to see the pause.
"I'm glad to see this and Commissioner Rubio is looking at addressing this; this was quite concerning," said Nguyen.