Rue Closes Shop After a Year and a Half

Bistro and cocktail spot Rue announced it was no more via a (now-deleted) Instagram post on Monday. Open since June 2016, the restaurant garnered a dedicated group of fans and some media attention for its fresh, farm-to-table small plates, bold cocktail menus, and industrial chic atmosphere. However, it failed to draw the necessary crowds to maintain a restaurant, apparently leading to its shutter.

Despite its quality product, Rue hit multiple speed-bumps, including restructuring and rebranding issues: hours often changed, all-day happy hours were added then removed, a Tuesday pork dinner was briefly added, and the restaurant went on hiatus for an entire month in summer 2017 after losing a chef.

Nor was it likely helped by Tusk, a similarly-minded restaurant less than a mile away that received large amounts of media attention before it even opened two months after Rue, or the nearby Century Bar, which opened just days before Rue and continues to draw crowds. Even Quaintrelle across town may have hindered the restaurant’s success, as it was the most comparable venue and opened mere days after Rue.

The Instagram post finishes with “Stay tuned for our next big venture!”. Eater PDX has reached out to owner and chef Jason Roberts for any additional details, and will be updating the article with any new information.

Speaking to Eater, Roberts adds that Rue’s position on Ankeny was “off the beaten path”; its almost complete lack of foot-traffic made it hard for people to find. He also said, “As time went on, I realized there was a project I was more passionate about and one I wanted to work on more than what was happening at Rue.”

• All Rue coverage [EPDX]
• See Inside Rue, a ‘French Neo-Bistro,’ Opening June 22 [EPDX]