By Mike Kinney
The founders of Portumex, a community staple since 1987, aim to reopen, particularly now that regulations have been placed on unpermitted street vendors in the city.
Tony Mora, 86, and his wife Maria opened the restaurant in its first location at 910 23rd St. (now occupied by El Tapatio). After three years, the couple purchased the little house at 721 23rd St., its current location, and Mora said they were going strong for over three decades.
In more recent years, however, the restaurant struggled to retain customers to the point that it indefinitely closed. The owners say they lost business particularly when street vendors began popping up across the street from the restaurant.
Portumex wasn’t the only business impacted by street vendors. Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association and owner of Rigo’s Auto Sales, said there were 103 pop-up food vendors along the business corridor at one point.
The 23rd Street Merchants Association appealed to the city for relief, and a compromise was reached that led to the development of the Mobile Vendor Plaza program, where the city designates spaces for them to operate, including the downtown parking lot at 1401 Macdonald Ave. The new regulation prohibits them from operating on sidewalks in competition with permitted businesses and also requires they receive permits and health department inspections.
Mendoza credits City Manager Shasa Curl and city staff for hearing the concerns and working to find a solution that benefits all parties.
“She has been so supportive of helping to resolve these problems,” he said. “We are grateful to her executive staff, Economic Development, Community Development, Public Works, Crime Prevention, the Richmond Police Department and the County Health Department.”
Daniel Navarro, owner of Navarro’s Italian Deli at 987 23rd St., echoed the sentiment of a fair compromise.
“The food pop-ups will have wonderful opportunities to make money and support their families,” he said.
Mora said Portumex will open soon, but they’re looking for the right person to become a tenant to run and operate the restaurant.
“We have had some inquiries and we want to make sure we have the right person who can do the job,” he said.