Pelican Brewing opening 6th location on the Oregon Coast
Pelican Brewing Company is still growing. The iconic Oregon coast brand founded in Pacific City, Oregon in 1996 has purchased a restaurant and pub to open yet another location in an untapped town on the coast with it’s own signature natural attraction.
Pelican Brewing is coming to Yachats, Oregon as early as this summer. This will be Pelican’s 6th location, following their just recently opened 5th location in Rockaway Beach in October 2025.
Yachats is a small town with a population hovering around 1,000. Until recently the town had a cult-favorite brewery called Yachats brewing + Farmstore which closed in late 2023 after nearly a decade of disputes with the city managers and fire department over building permits and occupancy. That location is now home to Wildcraft Ciderworks, a popular Eugene Cidery that relocated to Yachats. Pelican Brewing will bring another much needed craft beer to town as the latest announcement of breweries moving to the coast following Claim 52 Brewing going to Newport, SteepleJack Brewing opening in Manzanita, and Pelican’s own new Rockaway Beach pub.
Yachats is probably best known for the natural wonder Thor’s Well. Known as the drainpipe of the Pacific, Thor’s Well is a sinkhole that swallows the seawater into the rocks off Cape Perpetua. The mysterious, seemingly bottomless mouth that swallows then sprays the waves makes for a popular tourist spot and terrific photo opp.
On Saturday, March 14th The Whale’s Tale Diner announced they were closing at the end of the day. The Lincoln County Chronicle was first to follow-up with owners Crystall and Robert Morigeau to confirm their closure and report that they were selling to a well-known coastal brewery and restaurant chain which has committed to retaining their current employees. Sources have confirmed to The New School that the new owners are Pelican Brewing Company.
“We are delighted to expand our footprint and bring the Pelican experience to more of our coastal neighbors,” said Mary Jones, Pelican president and co-founder. “We look forward to sharing our next chapter with the community in Yachats.”
The Morigeau’s had just purchased the restaurant last spring and renamed it The Whale’s Tail, for 45 years the previous owners operated it as LeRoy’s Blue Whale.
Located at 580 Highway 101 N, Yachats, OR 97498 across the street from Yachats Commons Park, the 3,023 sq. ft. building sits on a 10,454 sq ft lot with 20 parking spaces. The interior is naturally well lit, with retro style booths and a miniature pub area, all in cool ocean blue colors with creamy whites and rustic driftwood touches that Pelican Brewing is sure to make their own. One of the restaurants main features, a large mural of whales serenely swimming in the deep blue sea.
For the next few months, the space will be closed and under renovation. Pelican co-founder Jeff Schons, who will lead the construction process, has a personal connection with the property: “We are truly excited to locate a Pelican in Yachats, where my mom lived for about 15 years. LeRoy’s was our go-to place for lunch whenever my wife, Mary, and I would visit, and I think mom would be really pleased to know that we will be the new owners and that we’ll be remembering her and those great times in that special place.”
Pelican plans to open the new location in the second half of 2026. More information will be available as renovation plans are finalized.
