…Bakery Bar is CLOSED today.

As the World Cup proceeds towards the July 11th finale, a heads up that there are some days without any matches.

NO World Cup matches on:
June 30 or July 1;
July 4 or 5;
July 8 or 9.

Heads Up! - WE WILL BE CLOSED on Sunday., July 4th. This crew needs a day-off.

We have a delicious new cocktail for Portland’s very late arrival of summer. It’s called the Oh Mama. Served in a pint glass - it has vodka with lemonade, cranberry juice, and a splash of sparkling water. It’s perfect for summer time and soccer time.

Heads up that the US plays Ghana this Saturday, the 26th, at 11:30a - PST.

A few photos…

A good number of customers, both regular and new, have come in during the World Cup matches and wondered with reasonable concern about what on earth Bakery Bar has become. The 3 huge TV’s…the theater style seating…the long lines and the long wait times even after placing their orders, etc. On big game days and especially on weekends, it’s a mad house this month for sure and very different from our usual setup. We want to apologize for the inconvenience. But we also want to provide some background and explanation.

We showed the 2006 World Cup in our first spot on SE Water Ave after being open just 8 months. We(but really Dan!) thought it would be a great promotion idea to increase business…to bring in new and different folks. It worked really well. We had some crazy days but the space was small enough to keep it pretty manageable. As we got the NE Glisan store open 18 months ago, we knew we would do it again.

So here we are 4 years later. This time with 3 huge TV’s instead of one. This time with bigger space. This time in a great and densely populated neighborhood. We planned on a pretty good response but to be frank, it’s gotten way past our expectations. There are just a whole lot of folks coming into the place.

Yes, everyone says, “too many customers is a great problem to have.” And it is, but it’s still a problem. So we are solving as best we can and making as many adjustments as we can.

In closing, we ask all our customers, but especially those who don’t care for the month-long int’l soccer event we turned into a sports bar for, to keep the following in mind until the World Cup ends on July 11. The TV’s come down on July 12 and we will get back to normal.

1. We are really busy. If the US is playing and/or if it’s Saturday or Sunday we are really, really busy.
2. There are some long wait times for egg sandwiches and full breakfast offerings. Scones and coffee and cocktails and all the other stuff are at normal speed.
3. Until July 11, there are games nearly EVERY DAY at 7:00a and 11:30a. Matches are over by 1:30p. The cafe mellows out a whole lot at this point.
4. If you want to order food TO GO during a match when we are busy, please expect up to 30 minutes to wait. At this time, getting your order TO GO is NOT faster.
5. If you have young(say under 10) kids with you, the crowded room is creating increased/additional challenges. We love kids, we love our customers with kids but during some of these matches, it can/will be tough.

Showing the World Cup has been wildly successful for Bakery Bar. We’re working really hard and we’re having a lot of fun. And we are the first to realize it’s not for everyone. As the tournament continues, we are doing our best to make sure fans and non-fans alike have the best experience possible.

GO USA!!!!

A day later…yesterday’s US match against Slovenia was one of the best soccer games I’ve ever watched. By 7:15am, the bakery was packed and psyched. As the first half unfolded, we were in for quite a ride…DOWN!…0-2?! In World Cup play, this is next to impossible to overcome. I said/asked my brother and friends how many teams had clawed out of that size hole in WC play…what like 2 or 3 tops?

But that 2nd half started and of course hope sprang eternal as Landon Donovan scored early.  OK…here go…we can do this. Then Bradley(the coach’s kid) scored to make it 2-2 and the bakery went totally nuts. We had a huge standing room only crowd of people, myself included, jumping up and down and yelling and high fiving.

And then the free kick by Donovan and the Edu score to go up 3-2. The room just about lifted off the ground…the cheering was so loud. And then…no it can’t be…he’s taking it away!? It was horrible. In a matter of seconds we go from pure joy to being sucker punched in the gut. As the clock wound down the last few minutes, I don’t think any of us could actually believe it. We won! Well, no we really didn’t.

As we walked out, my brother said, “That was one for the ages…one of the best matches you’ll ever see. We’d be telling our grandkids kids about it. But instead we’ll end up talking about THAT INSANE REF’S CALL.”

Well, it’s a day later and it really was one for the ages…that ref was a complete disgrace, but it was an incredible match to watch. Can’t wait til 7:00a on Wed. Simply can’t wait.

A lot of people have been asking for the basics of how we are showing the World Cup at our place. Well, it’s kind of a sports bar right now (Just for the month)…3 Flat screens… a 50″, a 40″ and a 37″…in HD.

Our full menu is available. We have cocktails, and we have Anderson Valley Pale Ale on tap.

We’re showing all games - except the 4:00/4:30am(PST) games. Almost all the games start (our time - PST) at 7:00am and 11:30am.

Hope to see you all here soon. Today was a great start with several customers telling us how much they liked the set up.

We have decided NOT to show these games. But all others will be shown.

Bakery Bar closes at 12:30pm on Monday, May 31. Staff need some fun times too! And so do the owners!

Breakfast Tacos!
Bacon with cheddar cheese & a scrambled egg topped with smoked tomato salsa    $3.25 ea.
-OR-
Chorizo with cotija cheese & a scrambled egg topped with tomatillo salsa    $3.25 ea.
2 tacos with hashbrowns    $8.50

Salsas are house-made and the chorizo is too.
Wheat and gluten free.
One cage free egg scrambled per taco per order.