‘This year somehow has felt the hardest:’ Portland English football pub closing after World Cup

By Paulina Aguilar

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — The Toffee Club, a beloved English football pub that opened in 2016, has decided to shut down. In fact, until they are closed permanently, they’ve limited their hours to just being open for the World Cup matches.

The Toffee Club has brought the British culture of their favorite pubs to Portland. From fish and chips to an English breakfast full of beans, sausage and eggs, along with a pint. After some thinking, owner Niki Diamond made the hard decision to move on.

“This year somehow has felt the hardest,” says Diamond. “The expectations I guess of this year were maybe higher than the last two and it’s been a challenge.”

Earlier this month, Diamond posted to Instagram saying in part, “After the challenges of the past three years, it’s time for us to take a break, spend some time with our family.”

“I was pregnant when we opened the pub. Our kids have grown up here. We’ve built this very special community but it’s a relief now that people know,” says Diamond.

Their post, flooded with comments like, “Thank you for the memories, the friendships, for hosting my b-day every year,” and “I love you all so much.”

Thanks for being my second home.” Even catching the heart of tourists.

“So far, I really like it. It’s a nice atmosphere, good service,” says Clayton, who was visiting from California. “It’s a shame. There’s not a lot of places like this in Portland and it may be a community place.”

The owners aren’t going away anytime soon. They hope to do Toffee Club pop-ups and plan on opening a large brewery and brew hall in Troutdale next year. They also own a brewery right next door to Toffee Club, called Away Days, that they will continue to work on.

Until then, they will be open for every match of the World Cup. Their last day will be December 18.

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