Elephants Delicatessen
| Elephants Delicatessen | |
|---|---|
Exterior of the flagship store in Portland, Oregon's Northwest District, 2022 | |
Location within Portland, Oregon | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | April 1979 |
| Location | 700 Southeast Clay Street[1], Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′41″N 122°39′31″W / 45.5113466°N 122.65851°W |
| Reservations | No |
| Website | elephantsdeli |
Elephants Delicatessen is a local delicatessen and catering chain based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, established in 1979.[2] There are seven store locations as of March 2026.[3]
History
Elaine and Jake Tanzer founded the company in April 1979.[4][5][6]
Co-owner[7][8] Anne Weaver was the chief executive officer for 40 years and was replaced by Martin McClanan in June 2025.[9] Scott Weaver is executive chef, as of 2019.[10] For the first 21 years after opening, it operated from a single location.[7]
Elephants had 439 employees, as of 2019.[11]
Kim Stafford has a writing shed with a wall made of boards from the original Elephants.[12]
Reception
Elephants was included in The Oregonian's 2019 "Top Workplaces" list of "99 great places to work" in Oregon and Southwest Washington.[11] The company ranked number 24 in Oregon Business's 2021 list of "100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon".[13]
Elephants won in the Best Catering Service category of Willamette Week's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2020,[14] 2022,[15] and 2024.[16] It ranked second in the same category and won in the Best Deli category in 2025.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "website". Elephants Delicatessen. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Elephant's Deli". 1859. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
- ^ English, Joe (2026-03-10). "'My heart's broken': Elephants Delicatessen CEO speaks about fire on NW location". KATU. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ Sawyer, Adam (October 1, 2018). Unique Eats and Eateries of Portland, Oregon. Reedy Press. p. 35. ISBN 9781681061863. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Porter, Roger (August 9, 2005). "Elephants on Parade". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Brenneman, Kristina (March 21, 2005). "Deli changes with times". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Lawrence, Demi (March 4, 2022). "Women of Influence 2022: Anne Weaver of Elephants Delicatessen". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Vondersmith, Jason (August 26, 2009). "10 Questions for Anne Weaver". Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ Staff, KATU (2025-06-17). "Portland's Elephants Delicatessen finds new leadership amid plans to expand business". KATU. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ "Elephants Delicatessen 40th Anniversary". Portland Monthly. 2019-08-01. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ a b "Here are 99 great places to work in Oregon and SW Washington: Top Workplaces 2019". The Oregonian. 2019-09-26. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ "Oregon poet laureate Kim Stafford's Poems for the Pandemic". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "2021 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon". Oregon Business. 2021-05-24. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ "Congratulations to the winners + finalists of Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020". Willamette Week. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Food Winners". Willamette Week. 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
- ^ "2024 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
- ^ "2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-12-21.