Scandals Goes East

Walking into Scandals East—a mustard yellow bungalow on Northeast Alberta shared with Carioca Bowls and Good Life Wellness Center—feels like visiting the new home of a distant, but much-loved new relative, or a friend from your younger, wilder days. It feels welcoming and safe, but also awkward. Last time you saw one another, you were younger and always piss drunk; you’ve since grown into someone who flosses and pays taxes.

But Scandals has changed too. The new location represents not just a change of address but a change of focus. After 46 years at the heart of gay nightlife downtown, Scandals reopened with a newer, more family-friendly—dare we say less scandalous—business model.

The new concept welcomes guests of all ages, and the shared location allows Carioca Bowls to operate from 9 am to 3 pm while Scandals operates from 4 pm to midnight, offering dinner service until 8 pm. The pairing works well with Scandals’ vision of a healthy, communal space for not only the queer community, but the entire neighborhood. The reinvented Scandals also places less emphasis on alcohol than its predecessor.

“I’m trying to develop healthy New Mexican fare and have more of my focus be on good, healthy, inexpensive food,” says David Fones, who owned Scandals’ former location for 20 of its 46 years in business.

The move has not come without challenges. In January, Fones started a GoFundMe page to recover past due bills and borrowed funds accrued throughout the transition. He raised 80% of his $4,500 goal; in February, Fones started a second fundraising campaign, asking for $14,000 to keep the space open. As this issue went into production, it had raised $1,765.

The first fundraiser, Fones writes in an email to WW, “got me through a really rough spot.” The second “was created in an attempt to ask my friends and family, Portland, and my community at large to really help me keep the dream of Scandals East alive.” Fones says he is still carrying debt from the downtown location, owing creditors, friends and family hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also hopes business will improve during the summer season.

“I’m hoping that the community can help keep me alive so we can thrive and really create a wonderful space,” Fones says.

The menu—inspired by Fones’ upbringing in New Mexico—is in development with plans to expand. Current food offerings are customizable and center on a build-your-own platter beginning with a base of vegan rice, beans and salad ($5) with the option to add protein ($3) and additional fixings like avocado and cheese ($2). “I want it to be very simple, healthy, affordable, fast—but not premade fast,” Fones says.

On a recent visit, I ordered vodka and soda ($8) from the simplified bar setup, which gives off more “drinks with dinner” than “frat party” vibes—a pleasant shift. I customized my New Mexican platter with cotija cheese, avocado, and carne adovada (pork slow-cooked in red chile sauce), with a side of tortillas. The food is flavorful and soul warming, making guests feel right at home.

In addition to its bungalow-style innards, Scandals East also offers an outdoor dining space on the patio; a raised deck for guests over 21 is currently under construction. There, Fones plans to carry on the tradition of the Scandals Pride block party.

“Next year, what I think I’ll do is close 9th and have the street fair be all ages and have the grounds be 21-plus—do something like we always did [downtown] with the stage on the street,” he says.

Fones also hopes the new Scandals space will feel welcome to a wider variety of clientele—not just those under 21, but adults who might have felt less welcome at the prior venue.

“Scandals was always just perceived as a ‘guy bar,’” Fones says. “We got a lot of grief—probably well deserved—from other parts of the community that felt like you don’t get service at this bar unless you’re a certain type of person. That was the perception. I’d love, love, love to break that stigma.”

He adds: “I wanted it to be a community space and not just strictly a watering hole. People who probably wouldn’t have been comfortable at Scandals are comfortable there.”

TRY IT: Scandals East, 827 NE Alberta St., 971-275-6494, @scandals_pdx on Instagram. 4 pm–midnight daily.