Downtown Portland News

[maccoinnich]

Downtown Portland food cart pod set for partial opening after permitting delays



After lengthy permitting delays, construction on a downtown Portland food cart pod is on track and developers have plans for a partial opening next month.

Called Sip & Forage, the pod at 1900 S.W. 5th Ave. is slated to open Aug. 15, said Steve Master, CEO of project developer Master Development.

The project has spots for 24 carts and about three-quarters of the spaces are leased, said Master. Originally, restaurant group ChefStable was on board to manage the pod but that group has since left the project.

The original plan also had a bar slated for the former bank branch building. However, the costs to renovate the building for a bar became too high, so that plan was scrapped, said Master. Instead, the team has converted an Airstream trailer into a bar that will serve as one of the pod's carts.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal.

[maccoinnich]

‘Portland’s patio’: Beer garden, boozy beverage cart settles into downtown



Portland’s living room has a new piece of furniture.

Several pieces, actually.

Visitors to Pioneer Courthouse Square may have noticed a few sets of umbrella-shaded tables and chairs pop up within the downtown Portland block — all leading to a forest green cart slinging beer, ciders, wine and slushies out of its post in the city’s core.

Square Bar — a beer garden and beverage cart — opened last month, bringing a needed refreshing, boozy presence to the plaza’s food truck lineup.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[dizflip]

That's great! They could probably add more tables

[downtownpdx]

Yeah great idea. Another article mentions that this will be in the square year round.

[PhillyPDX]

These pods have been hurting since Midtown opened as the better places moved to a better/safer place to set up. Still sucks and will further deaden these few blocks.

https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2026/07/...-will-close-two-downtown-food-cart-pods/

[downtownpdx]

Damn. Well if Mitch Green and others are actually concerned about downtown as they claim, they ought to get the city pay the up front costs of this requirement for all the pods. I don’t know how much extra burden it adds after the initial set up. But Goodmans aren’t exactly helping themselves by just giving up and closing these, do they think having less activity/foot traffic is going to improve property values downtown..?

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

Damn. Well if Mitch Green and others are actually concerned about downtown as they claim, they ought to get the city pay the up front costs of this requirement for all the pods. I don’t know how much extra burden it adds after the initial set up. But Goodmans aren’t exactly helping themselves by just giving up and closing these, do they think having less activity/foot traffic is going to improve property values downtown..?

I have no idea what the Goodman biz model is. Still can’t figure why they demo’d the historic building on 2nd. Sure maybe they are waiting for market to rebound…but that begs the question why they did nothing during the boom cycle up to 2020. And now the Goodman zone will be even more vacant.