Elephants Delicatessen

Elephants Delicatessen is a local delicatessen and catering chain based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, established in 1979. There are seven store locations as of July 2025.

WWW elephantsdeli.com

History

Elaine and Jake Tanzer founded the company in April 1979.
Co-owner Anne Weaver was the chief executive officer for 40 years and was replaced by Martin McClanan in June 2025. Scott Weaver is executive chef, as of 2019. For the first 21 years after opening, it operated from a single location.
Elephants had 439 employees, as of 2019. The company is among the largest women-owned businesses headquartered in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as of 2021.
Kim Stafford has a writing shed with a wall made of boards from the original Elephants.

Reception

Elephants was included in The Oregonian's 2019 "Top Workplaces" list of "99 great places to work" in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The company ranked number 24 in Oregon Business 2021 list of "100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon".
Elephants won in the Best Catering Service category of Willamette Week annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2020, 2022, and 2024. It ranked second in the same category and won in the Best Deli category in 2025.