The Great North — Restaurant in Portland

As a former barista of what this place was before, I can’t help but be saddened each day I walk past this place. I and 5 other amazing baristas were left with 4 day notice that Grounded NW (previous cafe) has been sold to The great north, although they were not responsible for the timeline we were left with, they are responsible for the way they treated current employees and managers that have been at the corner cafe for years. All whom treated our jobs with upmost pride and passion. The owners of the Great North, gave employees the “opportunity “ to interview to keep our jobs. We set up interviews for the day after closure. The evening we closed shop, they canceled all of our interviews stating it was related to “illness” in the family. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they offered to reschedule for the future. Days went by and they did not reach out to a single staff member, including managers. We spent 3 weeks trying to contact you via text, call, and email. You posted a listing on poached for baristas. All while we were STILL trying to contact you to meet with you in hopes to keep our jobs, and keep the relationships we’ve made with the community. You then hired on all new staff, continuing to ignore all of us. It’s been about a month and a half, you opened up the cafe claiming it has always been a place you loved and respected. I would like to ask why you never dropped in to visit this neighborhood you “love so much” while it was another business? We to this day have not heard a word of response from you, I think we and the community deserve to know why you treated the current staff with such disrespect. Instead of deleting each review left, show some dignity in responding to the people and community you uprooted. The opportunity to keep workers employed was in your control, instead you stripped all of our livelihood and resources to live, and could not even give us the time of day to respond to the false hope you gave us. Iam a strong supporter of local businesses, and have a deep passion for coffe and being a barista, but for business owners to treat the working class this way is unacceptable. You were never obliged to hire on current staff, although it would have been the right thing to do. But to ignore every single person that lost their job after giving false hope to, makes me sad that people like you are the ones behind this business. It’s time to support small business owners who respect people and staff. I’d love to recommend sterling coffee, Coffee time, Electrica, Keepers coffee, as these are people who genuinely care about the way they treat people. Do your research and spend your money...

I used to love this café. When it was CHNW and GNW, it was a vibrant, local spot where community members gathered. They hosted an art show for two years that took on a life of its own, generated an authentic sense of community, and fostered powerful connections. However, since Great North Coffee took over, it’s become clear that it will be a very different place.

The owners told staff they would have the chance to stay on, even scheduling interviews, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. They flaked, saying they had the flu and would reschedule. They never did. Instead, Great North hired new staff from outside the community, leaving those who worked to grow the café into a cherished space without jobs and without an explanation.

The new version of the café feels like a sterile chain establishment, lacking the personal, local feel that drew people in. That’s because it is. It’s a chain from the suburbs, posing as a small local business. The art doesn’t even have the artist’s name posted. They have done little to change the place aside from slapping a coat of paint on it and they seem to have just slid in hoping no one will notice.

It’s disappointing to see a place that was once such an important community hub turn into something soulless that doesn’t reflect our neighborhood’s spirit or values. Great North may call itself a small business, but it is an impersonal chain that will never be the welcoming spot it once was.

If you’re looking for a true community coffee shop with local roots, this is no longer the place. I recommend heading to Sterling or somewhere that has roots in Portland and employs community members.

I wanted to believe this place would be a good thing for the neighborhood and that the art show and other events could continue after they opened. I had high hopes this place would improve on the hard work done to make it a community space, but instead they bought it out and gave the staff the cold shoulder.

Why should the community give them a chance when they didn’t...

I used to love this place back when it was Grounded NW. the vibe used to be so cozy and inviting. They used to feature local artists and host an art show every month. Then the owner sold this place giving employees a four day notice, the new cafe ghosted all the former employees to bring in a new staff (whose abilities are subpar in comparison) what makes it even worse is that the decor and vibe feel like a liminal space with no energy or personality. The decor feels like it came out of a homegoods or ikea meant to appeal to a completely different demographic. It almost feels like they intentionally want to alienate everyone who loved...