Portland Coffee Chain Ristretto Roasters Has Closed Another Cafe

Ristretto Roasters, known primarily for the backlash surrounding its founder’s wife, has closed another one of its cafes. The Portland roaster has closed two cafes since the year began.

In January, videos surfaced showing Nancy Rommelmann, co-owner Din Johnson’s wife, criticizing women who spoke out during the #MeToo movement. Current and former employees signed an open letter explaining their frustration with — and lack of connection to — Rommelmann’s views. In the weeks that followed, Rommelmann used the official Ristretto Twitter account to call out some of the employees associated with the letter and to criticize the people who chose to boycott the roaster because of her actions; the thread has since been deleted. Then, she wrote two separate op-eds about how “internet locusts” targeted Ristretto and forced the company to close a cafe.

Now, several months later, Ristretto has closed another cafe — specifically, the location on NE Couch. According to Willamette Week, a sign posted on the location’s door suggests regulars visit the roaster’s two other cafes, saying the team is “off to new adventures.” The alt-weekly also reports that Rommelmann has moved to New York City; her video series that started it all, #MeNeither, has disappeared from YouTube.

• Ristretto Roasters [Official]
• Embattled Coffee Chain Ristretto Roasters Closes Another Shop [WWeek]
• Ristretto Faces Backlash After Owner’s Wife Starts Questioning #MeToo Allegations [EPDX]

• Ristretto Roasters Jabs at Portland’s ‘Outrage Culture’ in a Now-Deleted Twitter Thread [EPDX]
• The Internet Locusts Descend on Ristretto Roasters [Q]
• Op-Ed: Outrage culture is out of control [LA Times]
• 2019 closing roundup [EPDX]