Nosh Taco to close; Big Tree Hospitality to take over former Local 188 space [Video]

Nosh Taco in Portland’s Canal Plaza closed earlier this month, not quite a year after it launched in the former Copper Branch vegan restaurant space.

Co-owner Michael Fraser said the taqueria wasn’t able to generate enough revenue to keep it afloat, particularly after the project quickly became more costly than the owners had expected.

“We ran into opening costs that were more than double what we thought they would be when we signed the lease,” Fraser said. “Because of that, we weren’t able to get as much money as we wanted into the design of the space, so it didn’t quite have the feel we wanted.”

Fraser said rent for the 1,300-square-foot downtown Portland space was steep, adding that limited downtown foot traffic – an issue for many businesses since the pandemic – was another factor behind the closure.

“We knew in July that we weren’t even close to where we wanted to be …