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So Diablo is selling his strip stake?
(sorry, it had to be said)
I usually only take off my jacket when I go out to a restaurant to eat plants!
.
Some other less cheeky "fully clothed" vegan eating options in Portland – http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/oregon/portland/index.html
.
http://www.happycow.net/forum/happycow/view_topic.php?id=44
Pirates Tavern did well in the spring and early summer months of 2007. Most of our business was from travelers from out of state and from regulars in the suburbs outside of Portland. We had more revues on HappyCow.com (over 50 and mostly positive) than any other restaurant in the world. After summer when the travel season ended our sales declined and I knew it would be impossible to sustain Pirates Tavern in its then present model. I couldn’t sell Pirates Tavern because it’s hard enough to find a buyer for a vegan restaurant that is making money and no one wants to buy a vegan restaurant that is losing money. Since we are located in a heavy industrial zone I calculated that the only business that would be profitable enough to sell in this area would be one that offered murder victims or a strip club. Being an ethical vegan for 24 years I chose the latter. Now instead of losing money, I have a growing business with a positive cash flow. We have many repeat customers including former Pirates Tavern customers as well as local workers who would never come in to Pirates Tavern because it was a vegan restaurant and most that come in are very happy. My intent when I opened Casa Diablo has always been to sell it within three to six months. I wouldn’t count that as a strike, just a wise business maneuver.
"My intent when I opened Casa Diablo has always been to sell it within three to six months."
So your intent was to waste everyone’s time and cause financial hardship for the employees and contractors working at your establishment, while making veganism into even more of a joke in the public’s eye?
I hope you are laughed out of whatever community you next decide to grace with your "wise business maneuvers".
To yeahright:
The buyer of the business would be wise to keep the employees and the dancers we have. We have a great team.
Also, "Don’t hate me, ’cause you ain’t me!"
pirate’s tavern was the worst dining experience I have ever had (vegan or non-vegan)
I had what was quite possibly the worst meal of my entire life at Pirate’s Tavern, and while there, noticed that Johnny and his girlfriend were busy smooching at a table, rather than overseeing the restaurant and needs of customers. I read many of the reviews on Happy Cow and they were negative. But I decided to try and support Pirate’s Tavern anyway, because I am all about supporting vegan establishments. But if anyone who wasn’t vegan had tasted their first vegan meal at Pirate’s Tavern, they’d surely have been turned off to vegan food forever. I do understand Diablo’s need to try and cut his losses by changing his business plan. But I don’t see how creating a business that exploits women is a truly positive way to promote the idea of not exploiting animals. While I wish him good luck, I pray that his next business venture does not attempt to promote veganism, at least not through the preparation or presentation of food, or through the exploitation of others.
Barbara,
I’m sorry you didn’t like your meal at Pirates Tavern. Our style of food was not enjoyed by everyone but we definitely had our fans. One recurring comment we heard from non-vegetarians was that if all vegan food tasted like ours then they might eat more of it. You see, our goal was not to make the healthiest lowest-in-fat non-fried vegan food in the world, our goal was to make vegan food that appealed to non-vegetarians so that they might start incorporating vegan meals into their diet and eventually convert to veganism and thus save more animals’ lives. It is a tough sell but we gave it shot. As far as exploiting women but not animals I would respond that we don’t exploit animals, we murder them. I’m a libertarian for all species and if a woman voluntarily decides to use their looks for financial gain then I am not against it. I’m not against men using their bodies for financial gain such as the athletes that are paid millions a year. For those who disagree with me then we must just agree that we disagree. I would be happy if I was one of them. I have included the happycow reviews at the end of this statement so that others can see what customers thought of Pirates Tavern. While we did have some negative reviews, one from a disgruntled ex-employee calling himself drizit and a few others that were just really personal attacks on me, the majority are positive. I count at least 33 reviews that are primarily very positive.
Reviews of Pirates Tavern in Portland by HappyCow http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=9147
1 of 20 11/21/2007 7:48 PM
(link to this page)
Address: 2839 NW Saint Helens Rd, Portland
Oregon 97210
Tel: 503-222-6600
Members Rating Average:
Reviews for Pirates Tavern
"Great Idea!"
Review: Pirates Tavern was a very cool place! Im so glad it even exists. Whats
better than a pirate themed vegan restaurant!? I have to add though that I wish
there were more options and healthier choices. French fries and chili are not to
most creative options nor are boca burgers. THe service was very friendly and I felt
welcome. Also great deals on beer. Would more likely go for a drink with friends
then a relaxing dinner.
Pros: pirate themed! * inexpendive drinks * friendly service
Cons: limited offering * no mixed drinks * lots of fried foods
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Posted by thermalbunny on: Saturday, November 17, 2007
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"In need of better customer relations"
Review: My wife and I recently went to Pirates Tavern. We’re vegans and very
much want it to be a place we can regularly frequent. Unfortunately, we’ve never
felt welcomed there. It’s hard to tell upon going in what to do (where to sit,
whether to sit). No one ever says hello or "have a seat anywhere" until we look
around for a while. We returned recently, hoping things had changed. It was
worse! Obviously there was some kind of party going on inside, but it looked open.
We stood in the door way for several minutes without anyone explaining. It was
very uncomfortable and we left. We returned a few hours later only to find the staff
ever further into party mode. We actually walked around all inside with no one
even looking at us. We’re dying for some good fun vegan food, but I don’t know if
we’ll ever be brave enough to go back. At the very least they need a sign that says
"please seat yourself" or "please wait to be seated" or "go away, we’re having a
party and you’re not invited."
Pros: presumably good food * *
Cons: Very unwelcoming * *
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Posted by quinntheeskimo on: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
"Still the best in town!!"
Review: Even though our first visit back to the Pirates Tavern after the "changes"
was a bit underwhelming with the disposable tableware and the waitstaff not taking
your order at your table anymore, and some of our favorites not on the menu
anymore, and the "instant" mashed potatoes, and not mostly organic anymore…we
gave it another try. So glad we did! This time it was awesome! We got "real"
silverware for dinner, "real" mashed potatoes that even had skins in them. Yummy!
Our dinner was delicious! Everything! And even though the place was packed, we
got our food in a very timely manner. Love to see the ship sailing smoothly again
after the changes. Can’t wait to go back. The Boca Raton burger tasted like the Big
Macs I remember. And the fish tastes like the real thing. Scary.. The veggies and
cornbread were delicious too. Hopefully we’ll save room for dessert next time! With
so very few ALL Vegan restaruants in Portland, this one has two thumbs up for me!
Arrrgh!
Pros: Great Food * Friendly staff * Great Service
Cons: * *
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Posted by lioness on: Monday, November 05, 2007
Reviews of Pirates Tavern in Portland by HappyCow http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=9147
3 of 20 11/21/2007 7:48 PM
"Great vegan bar food"
Review: They have made many improvements to the tavern and the menu in
response to customer feedback and have lowered their prices. If you have gone
before and haven’t been happy, come back and try them again. The owner is very
friendly. This is bar food, which means fried. We had the chicken nuggets and the
fish and chips which were great but scarily real tasting. The coconut rice and beans
and festival were also very good.
Pros: Good food * Free pool * Friendly staff
Cons: * *
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Posted by junkfoodvegan on: Saturday, October 13, 2007
[And so on, for another 7,500 words of pasted text--which I've deleted. You get the gist. --ed.]
No comment on either establishment because I haven’t tried them… but I really wish I had a kick ass name like Johnny Diablo. Visions of Greg Brady dance in my head…
ole johnny has been the laughing stock of portland ever since pirate’s tavern started and everyone found out what a douchebag he was. the vegan community dropped him like a bad habit, and for good reason. anyone that thought casa diablo would last, obviously wasn’t paying attention at how johnny runs his businesses and/or treats people. everyone knew it was just a matter of time before he tucked his tail between his legs and ran off to another city…maybe to get his religion going again. good riddance johnny.
Hey folks, here is that ex-employee i was telling you about. His name is Brian. He goes around the internet under different names talking smack about me and my businesses. He is probably Margie below also. Even if someone doesn’t personally like me you would think they would still want a vegan business to do well so that the other vegan employees would still have a job. But alas, this loser doesn’t have a life. When I hired him he said he was a vegan. Then I find out he wears leather and eats meat from dumpsters. Sorry Brian, no one likes you and you are definitely not a vegan.
hi mr zukle. do you remember you signed a contract with the estrada’s on the property called 2839 nw st helens road. you are not responding to any of our mails. you are now 5 months overdue with your payment. we cannot seem to find you anymore.
Well they should of billed it as a gay male strip club. The gays don’t mind out of the way places and many are veggie anyway. Oh well….
Oh Johnny – nice comments & how good of you to include all ‘your’ happy cow reviews. Is it painfully obvious to anyone else that the Johnny and his wench wrote them?!?!? Mediocre food doesn’t cut it in this town.
Pirate’s Tavern was terrible. And when you add in the way overly political rantings in the menu and all of the other negative things, it was just simply a terrible restaurant.
Sorry Johnny, you can say whatever you want – but a Pirate vegan restaurant? Lame. Pirates eat meat. Pirates wear leather.
All you had was the hard core vegan customers, and since your food sucked you lost them.
I eat meat. Lots of it. But I also occasionally frequent a veggie restaurant. There are a few in Portland that are really really good, and they don’t get all political on you.
My advice to people is to avoid anything that Johnny Diablo touches.
I agree with the blogosphere that vegan pirate food seems nearly as unappealing as non-vegan pirate food. That was a bad idea and the market determined it’s fate. That being said, strip clubs have a place in our society and I don’t think Johnny deserves the scorn from vegans on our high horses. While his media commentary may be blatantly "shocking", look at what he does rather than what he says. He should be celebrated for bringing compassionate food to the masses.
Besides, Unlike veggie pirate food this is much more of a match. Veggie girls are healthier, more athletic, and always hotter when they take off their clothes!
anyone can bring "compassionate food to the masses" and still be a douchebag.
even if george bush went vegan, i wouldn’t vote for him…nor would i patronize his restaurant.
does this johnny diablo guy honestly think that EVERY negative comment about him and his former/current businesses is just from one disgruntled employee?
if that doesn’t scream paranoid schizophrenia, i don’t know what does.
i never got a chance to go to pirate’s tavern. but i’ve run into a lot of people that had nothing good to say about it. i’m not talking about alleged internet reviews. i’m talking about real, in-person discussions, with friends and strangers alike.
on a slightly different note, i’m always scanning craigslist for odd jobs to pick up here and there. and on a regular basis i would see pirates tavern looking for help. johnny can claim that he had a bad employee or two… but when your turn over rate continues to get worse and worse, you gotta start looking at yourself and what you’re doing wrong.
i think the community might dish out a shred of sympathy for him if he would just admit that his business failed because of his own mistakes.
but since he scours the internet looking to feverishly defend himself, it just makes him look even crazier than what everyone already knows him to be.
when it comes down to it, the biggest catalyst in johnny becoming the laughing stock of portland is himself.
hell, he gave himself the moniker of "johnny diablo", took super "hey look at me! i’m a sex offender!"-esque pictures of himself for his myspace profile, and well….just read those blogs of his.
do yourself a favor johnny, put the shovel down. the hole is big enough already.
I’ve been to many excellent vegan restaurants in Portland. Pirates Tavern/Casa Diablo wasn’t one of them. I went back several times, trying to give it a shot as it changed its menu/format. I thought the pole dancers were the most talented I’ve seen. The food, however, was terrible. Guess I’m just not a "fake meat" vegetarian. I’d rather take the ingredients I do eat and make an excellent meal that is what it is rather than faking it. After numerous disappointing meals at this place and after Johnny’s comment (on TV news) about the "meat" being on the pole rather than on the plate, I have no desire to go back. The vegans and vegetarians I know who would support a vegan strip club would only do so if the club was respectful of its extremely talented dancers, rather than calling them "meat"!
My band played a few shows at Pirate’s Tavern, and we always had a good time, if poor turnout. I actually liked every meal I had there, although made a point to shy away from fake meat and things that sounded like I could have made them at home. That said, I think the main issue here was LOCATION. Johnny comes from LA, where everyone drives far to get to everything. In PDX, there’s little motivation to drive out of your way to an isolated place when you can just as easily go to Belmont, Mississippi, Alberta, etc, and eat, hit a cafe, see a show or movie or art walk, etc. And with SO MANY places- bars, vegan-friendly eateries, and strip clubs- all within walking or biking distance of the rest of society, this place would have needed nothing but constant praise to survive.
Sorry Johnny…..Margie is Margie, not Brian. I never worked for you but I came into your establishment and we conversed. When we met you raved about your awesome food and how good your strip mall restaurant was in L.A. You never mentioned wanting to ‘promote’ veganism – you stood strong on the belief that your food tasted amazing………and this is just not true, at least in Portland. If anything, you turned people off to the ideal with your gruel. Now I read all these back peddling comments that are much different that your words when you first opened doors. Among all your other fantasies, you now want others to think I may be some ex-employee, no JD, I am me, Margie.
As much as I wanted for Pirate’s Tavern to work, it just never did. The focus was on everything EXCEPT the food (which, for a restaurant model, was pretty silly). Now, it’s a strip bar, which seems strangely appropriate, considering the proprietor. From day one, the "Tavern" and now the "Casa" seemed contrived, inauthentic, and plastic. This makes sense, when you find out "Johnny" comes from Los Angeles. In Stumptown, contrived, inauthentic, and plastic don’t belong and aren’t welcome, as evidenced by the reception of Johnny’s establishments and of himself. I actually hope he does sell "Casa," and soon – then, perhaps, the whole Diablo legacy will disappear! Then he can go back to LA and complain about how awful Portland and its citizens are while serving Los Angelinos his "awesome" vegan food with his "awesome" attitude.
this is a very old mail thread – but I’ll post anyway. We loved the food at the pirates tavern. it was expensive for us so we didn’t go as often as we would have liked to, but it was always a treat to go there. big menu. dinners were huge and very tasty. if only you could eat there and walk to something else – like music or a movie or something.
[...] do you get when you add the PR-crazed folks at PETA with the publicity-savvy people at Casa Diablo —which bills itself as a vegan strip club— on one of the year’s most news-challenged [...]