The Cartwright family is changing the name of its Grants Pass riverfront restaurant from Cartwright’s Taprock Northwest Grill to Cartwright’s on the Rogue, nearly two years after taking ownership of the business.
The rebranding follows the family’s October 2024 acquisition of Taprock Northwest Grill and a period of changes to the restaurant’s menu, décor and service. The new name carries the Cartwright identity into the restaurant while preserving its connection to the Rogue River, where the business continues serving residents and visitors.
Owner Jamie Cartwright brought Taprock into a family food business with established markets in Grants Pass and Medford. The restaurant initially kept Taprock in its name alongside Cartwright’s. The latest change drops that earlier identity in favor of Cartwright’s on the Rogue.
When discussing the acquisition, Cartwright described his goal as preserving the restaurant’s river setting while bringing the family’s food standards into its operation. He also emphasized Southern Oregon farms, fisheries and community, along with keeping meals affordable for local customers.
The new name follows that earlier integration of the restaurant into the family business. Cartwright’s meats, smoked products and bakery offerings have become part of the dining operation, connecting the restaurant’s kitchen with products developed through the family’s markets and food-processing work.
For customers, the transition comes at a restaurant that continues offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, indoor seating, outdoor riverfront dining and service for group events. Daily operating hours are listed as 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with breakfast served until 11 a.m. Online ordering and table reservations remain available.
The Cartwright ownership dates to 2024, making the name change the latest development in that takeover rather than the beginning of the family’s involvement with the restaurant. The business has served customers as Cartwright’s Taprock Northwest Grill during the period between the acquisition and its adoption of Cartwright’s on the Rogue.
The restaurant adds another operation to a family business whose roots in Southern Oregon extend back decades. Orlin Cartwright, a Navy cook and butcher during World War II, opened butcher shops in the 1950s. He and his son Jim established a meat-processing facility in Central Point in 1962, later expanding into Grants Pass.
Jamie Cartwright learned the trade from his father and grandfather before leading the business into specialty-market retailing. In 2008, he opened a new Cartwright’s Market with meats, seafood, produce and prepared foods. Jamie and his wife, Elvie, opened the Medford market in November 2017, adding a production kitchen and an in-house bakery.
The Taprock acquisition extended those operations into riverfront restaurant dining. Its current food service includes products bearing the Cartwright name, while its banquet operation serves gatherings with breakfast and buffet options. Those connections were in place before the latest restaurant name change.
Cartwright’s on the Rogue now identifies the family’s restaurant separately from its market locations while retaining the name shared across the businesses. The Grants Pass operation continues its daily meal service and group dining under the ownership that took over Taprock in October 2024. Customers can make reservations and view restaurant information at cartwrightsontherogue.com.