Elephants Delicatessen is a local delicatessen and catering chain based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, established in 1979.[2] There are eight store locations.[3]
History
Elaine and Jake Tanzer founded the company in April 1979.[4][5][6]
Co-owner[7] Anne Weaver is chief executive officer, as of 2022,[8] Scott Weaver is executive chef, as of 2019.[9] For the first 21 years after opening, it operated from a single location.[8]
Elephants had 439 employees, as of 2019.[10] The business joined the Energy Trust of Oregon's Strategic Energy Management cohort to assess energy usage, identify waste, and strategize on gas emissions reduction.[11]
In 2020, Elephants joined the Rose City Downtown Collective, a group of downtown businesses seeking to rebuild the area following a downturn caused by the pandemic and George Floyd protests.[12] The company is among the largest women-owned businesses headquartered in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as of 2021.[13]
Kim Stafford has a writing shed with a wall made of boards from the original Elephants.[14]
Reception
Elephants was included in The Oregonian's "Top Workplaces" list of "99 great places to work" in Oregon and Southwest Washington.[10] In 2020, Elephants won in the Best Catering Service category of Willamette Week's annual Best of Portland Readers' Poll.[15] The company ranked number 24 in Oregon Business's 2021 list of "100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon".[16]
^Brenneman, Kristina (March 21, 2005). "Deli changes with times". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
