Portland staple Clyde Common closing after 14 years

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - This week, a Portland favorite is closing their doors for good.

“It’s a simple factor of dollars and cents. When I realized that the money was going to run out, I chose to close,” says Nate Tilden, owner of Clyde Common.

Tilden is part of multiple restaurants; Clyde Common is his fifth to shut down permanently. He says Clyde Common was more than just food and cocktails. Since his announcement, he’s had great feedback from guests all over the world.

“Oh! I met my husband there at that bar, we have children, we bought a house, we live in New York. All of these connections. Or I was inspired to open my bar and restaurant in Montreal. There’s a lot of that love going around so it makes me emotional, it makes me emotional,” says Tilden.

The reason to close and the solution to keep it open were the same, money. Clyde Common got a little help from the government, but it wasn’t enough, and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund ran out of money.

“It was an expensive space, even being closed, we’re spending $20,000 a month just be closed. For insurance to cover, we had utilities, we had rent and we’re paying fees to Multnomah County for the Health Department. We’re paying fees to the OLCC to renew a liquor license. Tourists walking downtown city streets, bands playing at the Crystal Ballroom, a hotel around us that was full 92% of the time. We needed all of that.”

Tilden advises other owners who are thinking of closing, to hold on as long as you can. If you have to pull the plug, make sure you have enough money in the bank. Tilden says he knew it would come to an end someday but is looking forward to the future.

“We created an amazing family and they’re out there. There’s hundreds and hundreds of people that worked at Clyde. They’re out there and they carry on this legacy, and I know that and it makes me very proud.”

If you want to a little taste of the Clyde Common, Tilden is still part of other restaurants around town. Bar Casa Vale in southeast Portland remains open.