Macheezmo Mouse
Macheezmo Mouse | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1981 |
Closed | May 2003 |
Food type | Mexican |
Country | United States |
Macheezmo Mouse was a fast food Mexican restaurant chain based in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1]
Description
Macheezmo Mouse served Mexican food with a focus on fast service, fresh ingredients, and inexpensive, healthy menu options.[2] In 2016, a 90s retrospective by The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker remembered the chain's "affordable, 'healthy' food in a fast casual environment everybody's mom loved."[3]
History
William "Tiger" Warren founded Macheezmo Mouse in collaboration with Michael Vidor in 1981, adapting the restaurant's name from one of his nicknames.[4][5] While the company made a brief and unsuccessful attempt to expand to the San Francisco Bay area, by 1994 it had grown to include 13 locations in the Portland and Seattle areas, when it made an initial public offering in an effort to fund growth and ongoing operations.[2] At the time, despite annual operating profits of $789,000, the company's total operations had resulted in "negative retained earnings" and showed working capital of negative $640,000.[2] The stock price opened at $6/share and briefly rose as high as $11, allowing the chain to grow to a peak of 23 restaurants.[6][7] However, same-store sales fell by 25% over the next year and profits collapsed to a third of IPO levels, sending the stock falling to $3.25/share by the end of September 1995.[7] In 1997, the company closed its remaining Seattle stores, and by 1999 the stock was trading for "pennies", despite expanding its offerings into packaged burritos offered through regional Costco stores.[5] Founder William Warren died on November 27, 1999, when the de Havilland Beaver he was piloting crashed into the Columbia River just after takeoff.[5]
After a continued decline, the company closed its last four restaurants and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 2003, leaving many employees unpaid.[8][9]
Attempts to Relaunch
In 2010, Diane Hall, one of the company's early directors, attempted to revive the restaurant's "Boss Sauce" as a bottled product.[10]
Jeff and Danell Burlingame, who met while working at Macheezmo, later purchased the company's trademarks, recipes, and operations guides from Hall and in 2013 announced plans to relaunch the chain.[1][11][12] Their IndieGoGo campaign was intended to crowdfund $87,000 as proof of interest for investors, but was unsuccessful, raising less than $5,000.[1][6] The Burlingames continued attempts to revive the chain through 2015, expressing hopes that "one or a handful of larger investors" would help provide $250,000 in funding for an initial location.[1] As of 2022 no relaunch has occurred.
Gus Van Sant mural
A restaurant in southeast Portland featured an interior mural by Warren's friend, Gus Van Sant. The mural was believed to be painted over,[13] but was rediscovered in 2013 (Chez Machin, later Frog & Snail).[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Apalategui, Eric (2015-01-15). "Beaverton's Jeff and Danell Burlingame aim to revive Macheezmo Mouse". Beaverton Valley Times. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ a b c Buck, Richard (1994-08-23). "Mouse Money -- Restaurant Hopes Stock Offering Will Serve Up Its Future". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ Acker, Lizzy (2016-08-24). "18 things we miss from '90s Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Butler, Grant (2017-01-01). "Tasty memories: 97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ a b c Seattle Times Staff (1999-11-29). "Chain's Founder, 3 Children Killed". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ a b "Macheezmo Mouse making a comeback". KGW. 2014-01-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
- ^ a b Perez, Elizabeth (1995-09-26). "Macheezmo Mouse Stock Sinks 35% As Company Deflates Profit Forecasts". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ Securities Exchange Act OF 1934, Release No. 61538 (PDF) (Report). Securities and Exchange Commission. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ Row, Amy (May 27, 2003). "The Mouse that Died". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Beck, Byron (2010-09-27). "Macheezmo Mouse Boss Sauce Returning To Store Shelves". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2013-08-17). "Can Macheezmo Mouse make a comeback? New owners hope so". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2013-07-29). "Macheezmo Mouse returning with Beaverton location". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Row, D. K. (2010-05-06). "Gus Van Sant's other focus -- photography -- on display in two Oregon shows". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ Perry, Douglas (2017-02-24). "The fascinating history of 25 Portland public-art gems". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2013-08-20). "Finding director Gus Van Sant's 'lost' Macheezmo Mouse mural". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Acadia
- Alexis
- Altabira
- Analog
- Arleta Library
- Ataula
- Aviary
- Aviv
- Baby Blue Pizza
- Backspace
- Bailey's Taproom
- Batterfish
- Beaker & Flask
- Beast
- Berbati's Pan
- Berlin Inn
- Bijou Cafe
- Bistro Agnes
- Bit House Saloon
- Biwa
- Bluehour
- Blueplate
- Bombay Cricket Club
- Botanist House
- Brasserie Montmartre
- Bridges Cafe
- British Overseas Restaurant Corporation
- Byways Cafe
- Câche Câche
- Cafe Azul
- Caffe Mingo
- Candlelight Cafe & Bar
- Canlis
- Carriage Room
- Castagna
- Century Bar
- Chez Machin
- Cicoria
- Circa 33
- Clyde Common
- Country Bill's
- Cup & Saucer Cafe
- Davis Street Tavern
- Der Rheinlander
- Dick's Kitchen
- Dig a Pony
- Dime Store
- Dóttir
- Egyptian Club
- El Gallo Taqueria
- Embers Avenue
- Esparza's
- Everybody Eats PDX
- Evoe
- Farm Spirit
- Fat Head's Brewery
- Fenouil
- Fermenter
- Fish Grotto
- Fong Chong
- Genoa
- Georgian Room
- Gilt Club
- The Goose
- Gotham Tavern
- Greek Cusina
- Grüner
- Gypsy Restaurant and Velvet Lounge
- Handsome Pizza
- Henry Ford's
- Henry Thiele
- Hobo's
- Holy Trinity Barbecue
- House of Louie
- Hunan
- Hung Far Low
- Industrial Cafe and Saloon
- Irving Street Kitchen
- Isabel Pearl
- JaCiva's
- Jackknife Bar
- Kenny & Zuke's
- Kornblatt's
- La Carreta
- La Moule
- Lazy Susan
- Le Bistro Montage
- Lincoln
- The Liquor Store
- Little Bird Bistro
- Local Lounge
- Lonesome's Pizza
- Lovely Hula Hands
- Lucier
- Malka
- Mama Đút
- Masia
- The Matador
- Metrovino
- Mi Mero Mole
- Ned Ludd
- Nel Centro
- New Copper Penny
- No Vacancy Lounge
- NOLA Doughnuts
- Ocean City Seafood
- Olympia Provisions Public House
- Organ Grinder
- Original Taco House
- Overlook
- The Pagoda
- Paragon
- The Parish
- Pazzo Ristorante
- PDX671
- Pearl Tavern
- Phở Gabo
- Pied Cow Coffeehouse
- Ping
- Pink Feather
- Pok Pok
- Portland Penny Diner
- Portobello Vegan Trattoria
- Purrington's Cat Lounge
- The Queen's Head
- Radar
- Raven & Rose
- Red and Black Cafe
- Revelry
- RingSide Fish House
- Ripe Cooperative
- Roe
- Roman Candle
- The Roxy
- Santa Fe Taqueria
- Satyricon
- Saucebox
- Seastar Bakery
- Shift Drinks
- Shine
- Shizuku
- Shut Up and Eat
- Southeast Grind
- Stacked Sandwich Shop
- Stanich's
- Starky's
- The Sudra
- Sunshine Noodles
- Sunshine Tavern
- SuperBite
- Sweet Hereafter
- Sweet Lorraine's
- Tails & Trotters
- Tanuki
- Tapalaya
- Tasty n Alder
- Tasty n Daughters
- Tasty n Sons
- Tercet
- There Be Monsters
- Three Sisters Tavern
- Tilt
- Toki
- Toro Bravo
- Touché
- Vault Cocktail Lounge
- Veritable Quandary
- Via Tribunali
- Victory Bar
- Whiskey Soda Lounge
- Wildwood
- Wong's King
- The Woodsman Tavern
- Xico
- Yaw's Top Notch
- Yonder
- Zefiro
Chains | |
---|---|
|
Related | |
---|---|