A SMALL businessman says he was forced to close his home after his town demanded he buy a $40,000 piece of equipment.
Eddie Dong, owner of a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, said he ended up closing due to an odor complaint.
His Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Gabo, in Northeast Portland was the subject of an 18-month dispute with the city over a neighbor’s complaint.
Municipal inspectors reportedly visited the sites several times due to the smell of food, according to Willamette Week.
“The odors detected smell like a wok dish,” wrote one of the inspectors on one of the visits.
“The smells intensified near the restaurant, but were still easily discernible five houses away and across the street,” another inspector wrote on a February visit.
“I spoke to a contractor who works on the new homes on the same street,” he added.
“The contractor stated he could smell the odors from the restaurant every day.”
The city suggested that Dong purchase a $40,000 air filtration system to prevent odors from leaving the facility, according to Willamette Week.
Dong closed the Northeast Fremont Street branch in early February and laid off all of his employees.
“Everyone is getting involved now, so I’m proud to receive all this support,” Dong said.
“Just because a neighbor complained about the smell of the food, are they forcing us to close the business? That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”
The owner claimed he couldn’t do much to protect his business alone.
“This started a fire that will spread, and that’s a good thing,” he said
“I myself can’t do anything with the city. I’m just a small company.”
One of the groups that supported Dong was the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Just because a neighbor complained about the smell of the food, are they forcing us to close the business?”
Eddie Dong
They called on authorities to change the code which they labeled “subjective” and “unfair”.
“There are a number of factors that contribute to Portland’s air quality (and livability), but forcing restaurants out of business doesn’t seem like the most constructive way to solve the problem,” said ORLA President Jason Brandt.
Brandt also stated that the air filter solution was expensive and would not necessarily eliminate the problem.
A spokesperson for the city’s Bureau of Developmental Services told Willamette Week that the city enforced one of its codes.
“BDS implements and enforces the code adopted by the City Council. This code dates back to at least 1991,” the spokesperson said.
City Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s office said it would investigate the issues surrounding the code.
“Commissioner Rubio is concerned and has directed his staff to launch an immediate evaluation of this code and make recommendations for changes,” said the commissioner’s chief of staff, Jillian Schoene.
Despite this shutdown, Dong operated two other Pho Gabo locations in Portland.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
