Bunk Co-Founder Matt Brown Launches the Title Bout Restaurant Group

Title Bout is a promising, newly minted restaurant group by Matt Brown (Bunk), Collin Connon, and Jessica Williams, a five-year veteran of the ChefStable restaurant group whose most recent position was director of financial operations. The group has so far partnered with one client, Chicken and Guns, and last week, it told WWeek the popular food cart will open five locations over the next five years. Brown tells Eater Chicken and Guns is the type of partner Title Bout will work with going forward.

“Chicken and Guns is partnered at the farming level—it gets its chickens from two of the only free-range chicken farms in the Pacific Northwest—and it’s standout food. My 13 year old daughter gets excited about this stuff.”

Title Bout is clearly focused on Portland’s cultural identity, and Brown believes that’s what people want. “I haven’t seen anything really succeed in the bottom lease of a condo,” he says. “New Portland and Old Portland want the same thing: Old Portland.”

Title Bout is still in its infancy—it’s not even ready to announce where the first of the five Chicken and Guns locations will set up shop—and Brown says he isn’t in a hurry to announce new projects. “We’re looking at some bars and food businesses. We like to slow dance with these concepts. We want to help little businesses work more fluidly so they can grow sustainably.”

Brown adds that he has a lot of inspiration these days, like Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault (Sandy Hut, The Alibi Lounge), the Olympia Provisions team, and Kurt Huffman at ChefStable. “Portland’s a town where everyone knows they can call one another for advice. It’s so good to know you can take a risk and your friends will have your back. Portland is still that great place: What’s always made Portland great was so many great people live here.”

• Title Bout [Official Site]
• Crazy Good Cart Chicken and Guns Will Become Chain of Restaurants [WWeek]