LECHON

What LECHON does

Lechon is a privately held, independent South American-inspired restaurant founded in summer 2015 in downtown Portland, Oregon, operating from a single location at 113 SW Naito Pkwy in the historic Smith's Block Building. The restaurant serves dinner six days a week (closed Sunday), with a 1-hour happy hour Monday through Saturday from 4pm to 5pm and dinner service running until 9pm Monday-Thursday and 10pm Friday-Saturday. Cuisine is anchored by live-fire parilla grilling with a family-style sharing concept, featuring grilled octopus, ceviches, house-made empanadas, and 28-day dry-aged rib eye with chimichurri, drawing on Argentine, Chilean, and Patagonian flavors under Executive Chef Jaco Smith, a South Africa-born chef whose prior experience includes The Ritz-Carlton, The Greenbrier, and The Joule in Dallas. The 12-employee operation pairs the kitchen with a distinctive experiential layer: a 300-gallon jellyfish display featuring Pacific nettles behind the bar and a 1,000-gallon coral reef tank at the dining room entrance, maintained by Aquarium Services of Oregon.

The business generates revenue through four primary streams: dine-in dinner service with full bar and cocktails (South American wine focus), takeout ordered Monday-Thursday 4pm-8:30pm via Square, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, private events in the 4-story Atrium (up to 30 guests, $3,500 food and beverage minimum) and full restaurant buyouts (50-80 guests), and off-site catering through preferred partner Spork Bytes. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with strong reservation emphasis via OpenTable, supplemented by recurring event marketing (South African Dinner Series), email newsletter capture through Square, and organic social/website content. Private events represent a deliberate higher-ticket revenue diversifier targeting corporate groups and personal celebrations, while the multi-platform delivery footprint extends the brand beyond the physical venue. The company has no disclosed funding, no parent entity, and no public ownership or institutional investor signals.

Name

LECHON

Legal name

LECHON

Website

https://lechonpdx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lechon is an independent, single-location South American-inspired fine dining restaurant in downtown Portland, Oregon, founded in 2015. It serves dine-in dinner, takeout, and private events from a historic waterfront venue, distinguished by live-fire parilla cooking and signature aquarium displays.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-service restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• South American cuisine
• Live-fire grilling
• Private dining events
• Restaurant catering
• Full-service restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant Sales: Full-service dining experience with dinner service Monday-Saturday. Revenue from food, beverages, cocktails, and wine sales. Family-style menu encourages sharing and higher per-table spending.
2. Takeout and Delivery: Takeout available Monday-Thursday from 4pm to 8:30pm via Square online ordering, DoorDash, and Uber Eats platforms.
3. Private Events and Catering: Revenue from private dining bookings (Atrium up to 30 guests, full buyouts for 50-80 guests), off-site catering through partner Spork Bytes. Atrium requires $3,500 food and beverage minimum.
4. Bar and Beverage Sales: Full bar service with cocktails, wine (South American-focused wine program), and happy hour. Happy hour runs 4pm-5pm Monday-Saturday.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LECHON is a full-service South American-inspired restaurant in downtown Portland offering family-style dinner service (Monday-Saturday), happy hour, and direct takeout, alongside private dining experiences in its 4-story Atrium and full-restaurant buyouts. The cuisine features grilled octopus, ceviches, empanadas, and 28-day dry-aged rib eye prepared on a South American-style open parilla grill, with an open-kitchen layout and live aquarium displays (Pacific nettle jellyfish and coral reef tanks) as signature atmospheric elements.

Product overview

Lechon is a South American-inspired restaurant offering family-style dining experiences. The core offering consists of dinner service featuring bold Argentine, Chilean, and Patagonian flavors such as grilled octopus, ceviches, empanadas, and 28-day-dry-aged rib eye. The restaurant operates a Happy Hour program and takeout service through Square, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. Additional offerings include private event spaces (The Atrium for up to 30 guests and full buyouts for 50-80 guests), off-site catering via partner Spork Bytes, and recurring special events like the South African Dinner Series. The venue features aquarium displays including jellyfish and coral reef tanks that create a unique immersive dining atmosphere.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dinner Service Full-service South American-inspired dinner menu served family-style to encourage sharing, featuring grilled octopus, ceviches, house-made empanadas, and 28-day-dry-aged rib eye with chimichurri. Available for dine-in Monday-Saturday with table, counter, and bar seating.
• Happy Hour Discounted food and drink offerings running Monday-Saturday from 4pm to 5pm at the bar.
• Takeout Takeout service available Monday-Thursday from 4pm to 8:30pm, ordered through Lechon's own Square storefront or via DoorDash and Uber Eats for delivery.
• The Atrium (Private Dining) Private event space within Lechon accommodating up to 30 guests with customizable family-style menus, available Monday-Thursday evenings with a $3,500 food and beverage minimum spend and 14 days advance booking notice.
• Full Restaurant Buyouts Exclusive full-venue rental for groups of 50-80 guests, providing private access to the dining room, bar, and hospitality team for weddings, company events, and special occasions.
• Off-Site Catering Catering service bringing Lechon's South American-inspired dishes to external venues for office lunches, wedding receptions, and private celebrations, fulfilled through partner Spork Bytes.
• South African Dinner Series Recurring special ticketed dinner event hosted by Executive Chef Jaco Smith celebrating South African cuisine and culture, booked through OpenTable experiences.
• Gift Cards Lechon-branded gift cards redeemable at the restaurant, purchased directly through the Square storefront.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Spork BytesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpork Bytes is Lechon's preferred catering partner for off-site events. Customers are directed to Spork Bytes website to order catering for their gatherings.
• Aquarium Services of OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquarium Services of Oregon provides exceptional care for Lechon's aquatic life in their 300-gallon jellyfish display and 1,000-gallon coral reef tank. Acknowledged with special thanks on the aquariums page.
• OpenTablecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOpenTable is the primary reservation platform for Lechon, handling table bookings and ticketed events like the South African Dinner Series.
• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationSquare provides the online ordering platform for Lechon's takeout service and gift card system, enabling direct digital ordering and payment processing.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash provides third-party delivery services, extending Lechon's reach to customers who prefer delivery over takeout or dine-in.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats provides additional third-party delivery coverage, giving customers another delivery platform option to access Lechon's menu.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Departure Restaurant + Lounge: Rooftop Asian-fusion restaurant and bar in downtown Portland with panoramic views. Comparable as an experiential downtown dining concept with strong bar program and design-driven atmosphere.
• Southpark Seafood: Upscale downtown Portland seafood restaurant with full bar and event capability. Comparable as a downtown fine-dining destination with corporate/private-event offerings.
• Andina: Portland-based Peruvian restaurant also serving upscale South American–inspired cuisine with a chef-driven menu and lively bar program. Most direct culinary and geographic comparable to Lechon.
• Ox Restaurant: Portland Argentine-inspired steakhouse known for wood-fired grilling and a chef-driven menu. Closely comparable to Lechon's parilla technique and South American flavor profile.
• Clyde Common: Portland European-inspired restaurant at the Ace Hotel with communal seating and craft cocktails. Comparable chef-driven Portland dining concept with strong bar and experiential positioning.
• Tasty n Alder: Portland downtown restaurant from the same independent operator group, offering globally-inspired small plates with a heavy bar and communal-dining focus. Comparable chef-driven Portland concept with similar experiential positioning.
• Higgins Restaurant & Bar: Long-standing downtown Portland farm-to-table fine-dining institution with a celebrated chef and robust bar program. Comparable as an established chef-driven Portland fine-dining restaurant.

Broad incumbents

• Jake's Famous Crawfish: Historic downtown Portland seafood institution serving upscale dinner for over a century. Comparable as an established downtown Portland destination restaurant, though broader seafood rather than South American focus.
• The Nines Hotel (Urban Farmer + Departure): Luxury hotel in downtown Portland housing Departure restaurant and other dining outlets. Comparable as a downtown Portland hospitality operator with elevated dining and private-event capacity.

Emerging players

• Aviary: Portland chef-driven neo-bistro with seasonal tasting menus. Comparable as a small, chef-anchored Portland fine-dining concept, though smaller and more intimate than Lechon.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lechon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LECHON