After the Chef Was Fired, Poke Mon Staff Walked Out in Protest

A massive walkout left breezy, casual Hawaiian restaurant Poke Mon without a staff, the Oregonian reports. After ownership fired chef Colin Yoshimoto last Wednesday, remaining staff members ditched the business in protest. The restaurant posted a sign saying the restaurant was closed for “much-needed maintenance” Sunday and Monday, though the restaurant posted on Instagram on Tuesday, saying “We’re Here For You.”

In his interview with the Oregonian, Yoshimoto was relatively cryptic about the co-owners’ fallout: “The owners and I had disagreements on where the company was going, and I was let go on Wednesday,” he said. He added that he was not involved in the employees’ decision to leave.

Poke Mon opened in 2016, remaining one of small handful of Portland’s dedicated poke restaurants (think: Quickfish, SeaSweets). It’s unclear what the deal is at the restaurant these days. Did the staff return? Did the team wrangle together a skeleton crew during the hiatus? Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, feel free to send us more details via our tipline.

• Poke Mon [Official]
• Chef Colin Yoshimoto is out at Poke Mon; staff walks out in protest [The O]
• All previous Poke Mon coverage [EPDX]
• Eater Portland tipline [EPDX]