Rogue Now Owns Green Dragon

One Nation Under Rogue.

Rogue:  "Join Us"
Rogue:

The papers have been signed.  Rogue has purchased what was the Green Dragon pub and bistro.  Lorren “LoLo” Lancaster says “Ed offered me a fair shake and when we went in to talk to the Rogue guys, he caved.” Lancaster, a minority owner in the original Green Dragon undertaking says of majority owner Ed Schwartz: “He never truly cared about this business.  This culture we built here, he didn’t build it.”   Lancaster says that Schwartz told him “‘If you put liens against your house I accept your conditions.’ He got nervous about a bunch of stuff.”  Lancaster said that Brett Joyce of Rogue disallowed the idea of more time to work out a deal with others to keep the Green Dragon a non-corporate enterprise.  Lancaster says Joyce kept with “If it goes two more days this offer doesn’t stand (conditions).  They had (Schwartz) him over a barrel.”  According to Lancaster, Schwartz “said one thing and did another.  (Saying stuttering) ‘this is my only way out'”  So what now?  Lancaster feels disappointed, but not deflated.   After papers were signed before him, Lancaster told friends and employees back at the Green Dragon.  “In fear of there jobs, they were really bummed out” says Lancaster.  ” I have been fighting as hard as I can.  This is our house.   We built it.”  He also says that prominent people approached him with offers to save it .  “If they really have it, we are going to open our own place and (utilize) all the artwork available.”

What appears to distress Lancaster and other Green Dragon loyalists is that Schwartz and Rogue tried to “make it seamless like no one knew, but we blew it up.”

So what now?

“I don’t know” admits Lancaster.  “A good friend of mine who will be GM is gonna make it the same.  You have dough and longevity.  They only wanted it all.”

As for Schwartz, Lancaster says “He’s gonna get a big bag and go to his cabin and watch a bunch of movies and chill out.”

“Something like 30 people employed by this place.   Rogue offered people to move to places like Eugene…made them offers they have to refuse.  Many of these people have families and can’t just move to places like Newport and San Francisco. They’re not seventeen years old.”

What about Lancaster and his brewing?  He says “This isn’t the end of me making beer.  Right now I’m just having a beer and gettin a hundred phone calls.  We’re going to open another place.  Our declaration of war is going to the (Portland) Mercury and possibly the Willamette Week and the Oregonian.  We’re gonna build another place.  I am totally focused.  I didn’t get to where I am by worrying.”

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