In the grand scheme of things, it was about more than food or business or tourism. The Alder Street food cart pod in downtown Portland over the years grew into a central piece of the region’s culture.
Now that culture is being displaced. The pod, which for two decades has attracted locals and visitors to Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street — next to a long-vacant lot across the street from a three-story Target store — is making way for a high-rise development. And while food carts are mobile by definition, the transition provides an interesting glimpse into the transformation of Portland, along with lessons for other cities.
Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce conducted a study to determine the friendliest cities for running a mobile restaurant. It is no surprise that Portland was ranked No. 1 based on ease of setting up a business and the annual fees. The study also found that, nationally, food carts generated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2017 — up from $650 million a decade prior.
That is miniscule in comparison with $799 billion in annual restaurant revenue, but the increase represents a changing market and Americans’ willingness to embrace the unique offerings and zeitgeist of food carts. As WebRestaurantStore.com explained: “The best part of a city stuffed with so many convenient eateries is that tourists and locals alike can easily find tasty food for every meal of the day. Whether you’re looking for waffles, a refreshing drink, or award-winning Thai food, Portland’s food truck scene has something for everyone.”
The Alder Street pod has been an iconic representation of that scene. Delivering a multicultural experience in the expanse of one block — from Greek food to Mexican to German to more — the site has been the king on the chessboard of Portland’s expansive food cart industry. Where else can you get a Cheesus — a hamburger in which the buns have been replaced with a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches?
As Jameson Wittkopp, who has operated a cart on the site for nearly 19 years, told OPB: “I think it’s a huge piece of Portland culture going away, and there’s this cultural void that’s going to be developing … and then the culture that’s going to be here is going to be, I think, a bit artificial.”
A 35-story Ritz-Carlton with 251 hotel rooms in planned for the site. There also are designs on 138 residential units plus street-level retail. All of which is to be expected in a bustling city that is looking to increase density, and all of which is indicative of the region’s economic growth and stability.
To make way for the start of construction, the food carts needed to serve the final gyros and crepes and tamales on Friday and move out on Sunday.
Portland officials are scrambling to determine the future of the carts from the Alder Street location; there are hopes they can congregate at a new pod a few blocks away. And the city’s food cart culture remains rich with or without the Alder Street site, with dozens of pods strewn throughout the city.
But the Alder Street pod will be missed. It has provided lessons in entrepreneurism and economics while helping to invigorate downtown Portland — all while feeding customers from far and wide.
That is not easily replicated, and every city has a unique dynamic. But the manner in which city leaders have paved the way for Portland’s food cart culture and the manner in which residents have embraced that culture can provide lessons for cities large and small.
