Portland's 3 Doors Down: A Chat With Matthew Stiles

3 Doors Down sign. — Photo credit: 3 Doors Down.

Last month, as you may know, longstanding east-side restaurant 3 Doors Down closed. I wrote about it here and shortly after that I received an offer from Matthew Stiles to hear his POV about the end of 3 Doors Down. This is his accounting of the restaurant and its end.

Some Portland Dining History

Matthew’s vantage point is that of a longtime employee. He was there early on and was there until October 10, 2024. While he was there, he worked behind the bar and helped operate the business from the back of the house to the front. He has a lot of institutional knowledge about the restaurant, the various owners, and the business of running a restaurant.

“Kathy Bergin and David Marth opened the place on St. Patrick’s Day in 1994,” he explained. “It was a Thursday.” Kathy and David were a couple and operated the whole place themselves—David in the back and Kathy ran the front-of-house. They got some press and then were very busy when the west side caught wind of them,” said Matthew.

Matthew reminded me that at that point, the east side dining scene was not what it is today; the west side was where it was at. Places like Zefiro, Paley’s Place, Wildwood, and Higgins were around (all on the west side) when 3 Doors Down opened. And then in 1999, Monique Siu (Zefiro) opened Castagna (closed in 2023); Cathy Whims opened Nostrana in 2005, adding to the east side’s restaurant scene.

“These people were at the forefront of the food scene,” said Matthew. “They were the pioneers of Portland cuisine. Back then it was old school like the old west. It’s totally and completely changed.”

In 2019, 3 Doors Down was sold to Michael Galloway and Jeff Saulsbury; Jason Stratton became a third partner in 2019 and served as a culinary consulting partner.

Matthew also remarked, “3 Doors Down never made restaurant of the year, and that’s why it survived so long!” They made it through COVID, which is no small feat, but Matthew believes it’s not coming back. However, as they say, “never say never.” He adds, “Someone might want to resurrect it. I’ve thought about it, but it’s just not in the cards.”

Matthew Stiles’ Thoughts on the Restaurant Business

“The restaurant business, like the stock market, has its ups and down,” remarked Matthew. “It wasn’t fiscally possible to keep 3 Doors Down going. It’s a different time compared to the early days—the cost of insurance, ingredients, staffing costs. It’s enormous.”

Keys To the Closing: The Lease and the Money

Apparently the lease was going to be up at 3 Doors Down—they had a 5-year lease, and Jeff (the owner) wanted to negotiate the next one. But in the end, it did not work out—investors wanted to keep things going, but the costs of running the place became harder to manage. This is similar to what I’ve heard from many restaurant owners—that the cost of doing business/running a restaurant in Portland is increasingly challenging.

Case in point: “All of the sudden he was borrowing money after he invested his own money to keep the payroll going.” Matthew notes that Jeff did not pull a salary during the five years he was at 3 Doors Down.

My understanding is that Jeff is trying to settle things financially with all involved parties.

The Shuttering of 3 Doors Down

Matthew explained about the abrupt closure. “He shut down the restaurant for a few days and wanted to reopen—he intended to reopen—but he ran out of money. And with that, he didn’t see a future for the restaurant.”

“It was all very sudden,” Matthew remarked. “Then all the rumors started.” It put a lot of stress on Jeff. “It wasn’t intentional to wrong people,” said Matthew. “Jeff is trying to figure out everything to make it right for these people who felt they were wronged.” Hopefully this has progressed since my conversation with Matthew last month.

Matthew Stiles: Final Thoughts on 3 Doors Down

“That restaurant had great energy,” said Matthew. “It served a lot of people and it doesn’t deserve to fade into oblivion. 30 years was a good run.”

Thank you to Matthew Stiles for sharing his knowledge and viewpoint about 3 Doors Down and Portland dining.

3 Doors Down Cafe [closed November 2024]
1429 SE 37th Avenue, Portland
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(3doorsdowncafe.com: accessed December 18, 2024; site inactive)