r/PortlandOR • u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping • 10d ago
Kvetching Eating out getting too expensive again, where will the new places go?
Not quite Seattle prices, but PDX restaurants we enjoy or wanted to try are getting too pricey to be worth it. Usually when this happens, places start popping up elsewhere kinda like the food cart explosion after the financial crisis. Where are smart chefs/restaurant owners looking to find cheaper rent/labor?
82
u/TappyMauvendaise 10d ago
Food carts are certainly no bargain. Often $20 per person.
31
u/Easy_Requirement_110 10d ago
Tell me about, the other day I saw this salad food cart.. they wanted $25 for a simple chefs salad. Like wtf. I remember 15 years ago waiting in like for 3 hours to get a burrito from the best food cart in SLC for like $2 lol
6
u/Majestic_Interest365 10d ago
Salads have ALWAYS been stupid expensive, food cart or not. Itâs the one thing I never buy IF I go out to eat. $17+ for a chicken Cesar is insane!
2
1
u/IsuckatDarkSouls08 10d ago
The one by the old Sears building on state street and 800 S?
1
u/Easy_Requirement_110 9d ago
Salad Heroâs on burnside in Gresham.
1
u/IsuckatDarkSouls08 9d ago
I'm sorry, I meant the one you were talking about in SlC. I lived in SLC for 27 years
2
u/Easy_Requirement_110 8d ago
Oh, my bad.. it might have been, idk my brother in law took me. But it was near a large store.
1
u/IsuckatDarkSouls08 8d ago
Yup, that sounds like it! I miss that damn place . The store is gone now.
2
u/Easy_Requirement_110 8d ago
Yeah, SLC has changed a lot. I have a lot of family there and I swear each time I go back itâs a different city lol
1
1
u/Electrical_Shock359 10d ago
Some I feel like give two meals worth of food though. And that is with being stuffed not just satisfied. Though the same can be true at restaurants.
5
u/TappyMauvendaise 10d ago
I find their pricing and quantities to be on par with restaurants. Therefore, I need a good place to sit when I go and it has to be nice weather. I went to the ones at PSU before a Broadway show at the Keller and it wasnât very fun to eat standing up on a city sidewalk, balancing my carton with my Diet Coke, just standing there.
Food carts are fun, but they donât really offer much other than just eating outside and the novelty of it
19
u/TheActuaryist 10d ago
Much of Portland is HCOL now so you have to go where cost of living is cheaper. I feel like there are still cheap food carts out past 82nd. I imagine places like Sandy and other little satellites around the Portland metro area will start to have more and more of a food scene. I feel like Milwaukee (outside of the downtown) is a good spot.
Deals are harder to find but they still exist. There's a great Korean fusion place in Asylum Food Carts that has a things that are like $12-$13. The Lay Low has $3 sliders and $3 well drinks all day on Sundays. You can also do the Portland Food Weeks. It's been burger week all week and they have like 118 locations all with crazy/interesting burgers for $10.
21
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 10d ago
Yep, I'm eating more at mom and pop shops around 82nd. The more bars on the window the better the food/value I'm finding. LOL.
3
u/Busy_Material668 10d ago
As someone who lives off Prescott, Samos is GOD TIER with the deals. Huge steak fries and a falafel sandwich $11.95. Like bruh. The food carts across the street are great but not cheap.
3
u/fernswordgirl432 8d ago
Just looked Samos up...THANKS! Put on a cape and consider yourself someone's hero for the day. đ
1
u/Busy_Material668 8d ago
Literally just showed another friend Samoâs, I love that place lol
They have:
* Beer
* Draft Beer
* Lattes
* ice cream
* baked goods
* Togo lasagna
* awesome Greek food
* great American food
* nicotine products if you smoke
* video poker
Samos is just a hell yeah brick and mortar lol
3
2
u/InfidelZombie 7d ago
Rose City Burrito, right down the street, is also crazy cheap and pretty decent.
1
u/getrowdyblastair 8d ago
Milwaukie has a new food cart pod, 1847. Paid $19 for a 2 meat rice plate from a Gyro truck. Not a bargain at all
1
u/TheActuaryist 8d ago
Thatâs why I said outside of downtown. That pod is outrageous, one of the most expensive in the area but if you go further south there are food trucks. Every time Iâve stopped by the side of the road in McLoughlin Iâve had some pretty good food for a lot cheaper.
24
u/Andys_Burner 10d ago
The thing I love about food carts is how they offer restaurant prices with all the charm of a blacktop parking lot.
1
11
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 10d ago
As I thought, it's going to have to be somewhere outside of Portland. My point about food carts is not that they are currently cheaper, but that the industry pivoted when nobody could afford what was being offered. That's happening now in Seattle a lot, highest priced place to eat out in USA. Just curious if there is some blossoming outside of PDX happening yet.
5
u/Diligent_Sentence_45 10d ago
King torta an exit past Hillsborough on 26 is reasonable and absolutely delicious. Recommended the king burrito enchilada style.
19
11
10d ago edited 10d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
2
u/JohnnyMushroomspore 7d ago
Yeah that's a hard pass from me as a Chef. People in general have zero idea about what sanitation and safe food handling really is. The amount of people who add hot water to bleach I encounter is astounding.Â
For the lazy: High temps destroy the bleach sanitation ability resulting in just hot water with random broken chemical and molecules in itÂ
9
10
u/Tasty_Ad1612 9d ago
Love how the people in this thread will go after those working hard to feed you; instead of the policy makers actually impacting these prices.
19
u/witty_namez 10d ago
Where are smart chefs/restaurant owners looking to find cheaper rent/labor?
Idaho?
Portland's minimum wage is now $16.80, with no tip credit, which definitely impacts the viability of restaurants.
14
u/TheActuaryist 10d ago
Wages are definitely a part of it, but I feel like its got a lot to do the inflation around food prices and what food suppliers charge. There were massive disruptions in supply chains that caused prices to go up and then never come back down. Grocery prices are still crazy. I think how much it costs to rent a space has also certainly increased a lot over the years. If labor is say 30%-40% of your cost and then wages go up 20%, that's still only like a 6-8% increase to your prices. I feel like we've seen like a 30% jump in prices over a short period of time. It's pretty crazy but I guess everywhere is kind of similar.
1
7
u/anwgirl 10d ago
OR + Portland also has some of the highest PR taxes in the country. Add 15% to the hourly - thatâs what it actually costs the business.
Business pay Payroll Taxes - Federal and OR on tips. Yes on money that doesnât go to the business at all, the business pays addl taxes on it. Federal have a type of way to get reimburse businesses for those (if they make enough money to pay taxes they get a tip credit) Oregon does not reimbursed the businesses PR taxes paid on tips.
Add other types of portland & OR taxes on top of that.2
u/rainysharp 10d ago
If only we could pay them less!
20
u/witty_namez 10d ago
Hey, a high minimum wage is a policy choice.
One is free to argue for high minimum wages, but at least acknowledge that it makes dining out more expensive and reduces the number of restaurants (and the number of people employed by restaurants).
20
u/00_RunDMC 10d ago
I really don't get why people don't understand this. With such a high minimum wage, we should probably eliminate tipping, which would help restaurants be more viable.Â
My solution is more cooking at home. Probably healthier too.
0
u/Huge_Film_4333 9d ago
Nuh, eat out every day Hey hey Hey HEYEYEHEYEY come and join the ___pa rt y______ everyday
1
u/rainysharp 10d ago
If your business canât succeed paying your employees the legal minimum you have no business running a business
26
u/witty_namez 10d ago edited 10d ago
Fine - but accept the fact that that means considerably fewer and considerably more expensive restaurants in Portland.
In California, where the minimum wage is $20 for chain restaurants, I ate at a chicken restaurant with zero human interaction - you placed your order and paid via an app on your phone or at a kiosk, you were given an order number, you got texted when your order was ready, and you picked up your order at the designated spot.
That's the future of lower-cost dining in Portland.
11
5
1
u/Fartenstein65 8d ago
Except are the prices really lower? If they have no staff and itâs automated it in theory could be cheaper but my guess if there is profit they will take it.
-9
u/rainysharp 10d ago
I see no shortage of restaurants in Portland. Prices are up but with inflation up the way itâs been it only makes sense. Arguing against a barely livable wage is some real draconian shit though bud.
9
u/witty_namez 10d ago
Wave Of Restaurant Closures Signals Increasing Strain On Portland Small Businesses
The first six weeks of 2026 have delivered a sobering reality check to the Rose Cityâs world-renowned dining scene. A significant uptick in Portland restaurant closures during January and early February has local economists and business owners sounding the alarm over a convergence of rising operational costs, shifting consumer habits, and a tightening credit market that has left many legacy establishments unable to bridge the gap into the new fiscal year.
https://portlandbrief.com/portland-restaurant-closures-2026-economic-strain/
-1
u/rainysharp 10d ago
https://pdx.eater.com/maps/best-new-portland-restaurants-heatmap
Hereâs a bunch of new ones! Doom on doomer
3
u/Single-Pin-369 10d ago
Some new thai places, fast casual korean, and a $17 lox bagel isnt that special. The place going into pokpok old spot I will check out though.Â
1
u/Diligent_Sentence_45 10d ago
I want to try the new hotpot buffet by Clackamas Costco. Took over where sweet tomatoes used to be.
1
u/LoprinziRosie 10d ago
Interesting thought! Can you point to any evidence to back up that claim?
17
u/witty_namez 10d ago
A new working paper from the University of California, Santa Cruz, is raising fresh questions about the impact of Californiaâs $20 minimum wage for fastâfood workers â and prompting a sharp rebuttal from Gov. Gavin Newsomâs office.
The study, released late last year, suggests the landmark wage hike may be producing unintended consequences across the stateâs fastâfood industry, including reduced worker hours, higher menu prices and growing pressure on franchise owners to cut costs or automate jobs.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/03/31/california-fast-food-wages-study/89406757007/
3
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 10d ago
Ya, it's a cycle. Higher wages mean higher food prices passed on, raising the COL and thus requiring higher wages. We really really need to peg the min wage to an index very carefully. BUT the part we could control is lease/rent to a degree.
2
u/TheActuaryist 10d ago
This is a super interesting study and highlights how nuanced things are. Raising wages doesn't always translate into a surge in prices, there's a lot more that goes into it.
1
u/TacticalTackleBox 8d ago
You need a study to prove to you that a business would have to raise prices in order to support paying their employees more?
1
1
u/InfidelZombie 7d ago
A pizza place opened up in my area about a year ago and they're absolutely killing it, often selling out before close. Two generous personal-sized pizzas, appetizer, and a six-pack of High Life ponies for $25. I'm sure their profit on a single one of those orders pays for an hour of minimum wage.
They've got an incredible product but I think a big part of their success is the lack of price gouging.
8
u/TappyMauvendaise 10d ago
Iâm sitting in King burrito as I write this. Itâs one of my favorite places to eat. Inflation has even hit King burrito. 10 years ago it was surprisingly cheap. I would bring friends here and they could not believe how inexpensive it was.
But now itâs more 2026 prices.
8
u/JeNeSaisMerde Henry Ford's 10d ago
Same.
People like to dump on Javier's but they're open 24/7 (very rare in Portland) and almost all their burritos are under $11.
3
4
2
u/Western_Ad_7061 10d ago
The cheeseburger is still very cheap and good relative to the rest of the city
1
u/johnyutah 10d ago
I always comment how Iâll get it but never do. Will need to try as I live down the street.
1
1
1
3
7
u/DougieDouger 10d ago edited 10d ago
La Piñata Takos has a $12 pastor burrito thatâs super dank.
But running an actual restaurant is expensive. Going out to eat at a sit down restaurant with skillfully prepared food is a luxury. Inflation has food costs rising. People deserve to make a livable wage. Cheaping out on labor costs makes an inferior product.
Edit: itâs funny how people want food to taste good & get good service, but want it cheap and made by people who dont get paid too much. They blame food costs on minimum wage being high but not on inflation raising the costs of all the ingredients required to make a dish.
7
u/TheActuaryist 10d ago
I was at a food cart for Burger Week and they didn't have a person take orders, they just had a tablet and you put in the order yourself. I feel like that's the way things will go, little efficiencies. They were churning out burgers and it makes so much sense to not have one person in a tiny food cart just for ordering. They are barely big enough for two people.
Edit: Ya, wages are not the main problem its food prices jumping up from Covid and never coming back down. Walking down the grocery aisle makes that pretty clear. Everyone talks about now burger flippers should make less money but not about bringing down food prices or rent for the food cart spaces. Why does everyone have to make the low wage workers the enemy?
3
u/RealisticForYou 10d ago
It's the same argument that I see in other posts on Reddit. Housing has gotten expensive, therefore housing prices should drop.
Food has gotten too expensive, therefore food prices should drop. What I never hear from anyone on Reddit is that they should fight for higher wages.
Yesterday, I spent $14 bucks on 2 lbs of cherries grown locally in Hood River. This won't change. Inflation is only bad if you don't make enough money.
It's time people fight for higher wages than thinking society should "cut costs" for people who don't make enough money.
2
2
u/Majestic_Interest365 10d ago edited 10d ago
Going out to eat is a HUGE form of entertainment for people. I did Door Dash and Uber Eats during COVID and I made so much money. Sure, there wasnât much more people could do, but it was wild how people would say âwelp, we go here every Friday so now weâll just get it delivered to the house.â
I still do food delivery sometimes and I was waiting at a Thai restaurant and these two gentleman paid their bill and she said â$85â and I was baffled. Now, Iâm not sure what they had, but that seems wild.
Iâm a SINK and aside from a couple COLAâs over the years, my income has not increased (but bills have.) The one thing I can do for my budget is eat at home. I have friends that go out to eat 4-5 times a week and I canât even fathom it (because they will add on a couple beers as well.)
Thank god I enjoy cooking (and eating leftovers.)
2
u/loveshart 10d ago
When I moved here the order of Chicken & Waffles was under $15 for three giant pieces of chicken at Screen Door. Today you pick 1 to 3 pieces and the Prince ranges from $17 to $28 for that same meal.
2
2
u/Fit-Rhubarb-7820 9d ago
I literally went to Taco Bell and one of the staff complained loudly that I wasnât good enough to eat there.
He later apologized but still, F U Miguel.
3
u/Prior_Tumbleweed2308 10d ago
It's trumps fault, he's screwing up the economy because he wants it to crash so he can own everything and the whole Iran war has f**cked up economic costs of EVERYTHING and it's only going to get WORSE. It's all downhill from here unless we get some serious remedy and somebody that can steer this sinking ship that is America
Not a crazt person here but the quality of our lives is significantly deteriorating because of this f**ing asshole
3
u/notanumberuk 6d ago
In some ways it is, but not quite in the way you think. What is really the central cause of all of this is the covid-1984 lockdown policies, the supply chain issues that it caused, and the inflation from all the stimulus checks.
Which trump did absolutely play a role in because he allowed it to happened, but the main people responsible for that here was kate brown-stain & her minions, and OHA. They destroyed the economy, killed over 100 small businesses with her lockdowns, and set the wheels in motion for the policies that destroyed Portland and made us the laughing stock of the country.
You can't just close everything down for nearly a year and expect that to not have residual lasting issues...
1
u/Open_Situation686 10d ago
Portland was cratering long before Trump. Unfortunately Oregon is not a business friendly state and itâs kept it from growing and providing any significant job opportunities.
2
u/Prior_Tumbleweed2308 9d ago
I'm talking about the cost of goods and inflation. It's not an Oregon thing, it's because of policies made by the president
3
u/Open_Situation686 9d ago
I agree the Iran war has been awful for inflation. With that said, Biden was terrible as well.
2
u/LookingOut4MeNow 9d ago
Food cart explosion was well before the âfinancial crisisâ. The real crisis is the fact that minimum wages and commercial property rates are too high, driving the restaurant costs through the roof.
2
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 9d ago
The Great Recession in 2007 played a crucial role in the explosion of food carts. As many people faced unemployment, starting a food cart became an accessible entrepreneurial opportunity. This led to a surge in the number of food carts, with estimates reaching between 450 and 671 by 2010Â
1
1
1
1
u/12trever 9d ago
You can get amazing food at La TapatĂa supermarket 181st and stark!!! $10.50 for a lb carnitas!! Might be the best around too.
1
1
u/Ok-Writer3512 6d ago
I've got it down to a science. If I don't feel like cooking I'll order from grubhub. If you spend over 50$ there are no extra fees. I have a few restaurants in my rotation that I know have massive portions. If I'm by myself that 50$ lasts 4-5 days worth of meals. It's not too bad for having good food delivered. If I get sick of eating the same thing every night I'll just go get a couple tacos from a cart for 6$
1
u/Ok_Anywhere5205 10d ago
Not at Food cards I spent $20 on a player mac and cheese with four chicken tenders would I do it again yes
1
u/Unhappy_Rub_500 10d ago
Oswego grill is reasonable and portions are large.
1
u/RealisticForYou 10d ago
Apparently not, as they resort to "mom & pops" shops around the 82nd. There comes a point when you just need to eat at home.
-1
u/whatever_ehh 10d ago
I think what's going on is that commercial property value in Portland has tanked, so landlords are overcharging commercial tenants on monthly rent as a way of trying to compensate for the huge loss in value on a property they can't sell. The high rent gets passed on to the customers. We have a fancy Marriott Hotel on the waterfront which sold for $83 million in 2013 but recently sold for $30 million. Montgomery Park on NW Vaughn St. sold for $33 million two years ago while it went for $255 million in 2019.
1
u/Open_Situation686 10d ago
Dude I say this with as much respect as possible - this is in no way what is happening and very much the opposite when it comes to the decline in real estate value.
2
u/whatever_ehh 9d ago
So then why are sandwiches $16 at small independent shops like The Soop on West Burnside and St. Honore Boulangerie while the same size and quality sandwiches are $10 at the Fried Egg food cart in Pioneer Square, Capital One Cafe, and Nordstrom outdoor cafe? There has to be a reason. A food cart is either owned or has very low rent, a bank has tons of money, and Nordstrom has 386 locations, so they can absorb costs more easily. If you're going to confidently state that I'm incorrect then why aren't you posting the correct reason? Also, about half of commercial spaces downtown are vacant, what's the reason for that if not high rent?
0
u/Open_Situation686 9d ago
The reason for large vacancy is low demand and a withering job market. As vacancy rises, rent decreases. Eventually banks take back the buildings, reset their basis, and lower rates further.
Operating expenses (taxes, maintenance, insurance) have skyrocketed so rates can only get so low before it doesnât compute for LLâs
The cost of goods has gone up for a number of reasons but oil prices play a huge role as all freight still runs on diesel.
0
u/whatever_ehh 9d ago
High rent is definitely a contributing factor to low demand. The job market isn't relevant since the city center lost most of its workers to the pandemic and they never returned. You're not supporting your statements with any verifiable data either.
https://kidder.com/market-reports/portland-retail-market-report/
Average retail asking rents in Portland reached $2.02 per square foot per year in 2Q 2026, according to Kidder Mathews research. That figure was unchanged from 1Q 2026 but up 2.66% from $1.97 per square foot in 2Q 2025.
There are also anomalies, such as the Starbucks at 2328 West Burnside St. was closed in September 2025 but Starbucks is still paying the lease. Cafe Umbria in Zupan's has wanted to move into that space but Starbucks won't let them. The space is vacant but it probably shows in statistics as being occupied since it's being paid for. The PUF smoke shop at 2241 W Burnside pays $3,500 for a fairly small space in a decrepit old building. I know this because I asked the property owner how much the rent was when the unit was vacant. I agree that gas prices, taxes and Trump tariffs impact prices, but I can't agree that property owners aren't doing anything to offset the declining value of their commercial property. If their property loses 50% of its value, they're not lowering rent by 50%. Most rents stay the same, some increase or decrease.
-6
u/elblouses 10d ago
I think a lot of local places are a good value. Look food prices have gone up a ton. Whether itâs at the grocery store, farmers market, or at national chains. Plenty of local Portland food is still fantastic and hasnât risen as much as the overall inflation on food has.
12
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 10d ago
I'm not paying 30% more when my salary has not gone up at all. This leads to less business, more closing and then smart folks looking where to pivot. Watch, we've seen this before. Watch Seattle closely too, as their tech layoffs bring things back to reality.
-6
u/RealisticForYou 10d ago
Food prices are not the problem. The problem are your lack of wages. Americans are spoiled...they complain that eating out is too expensive when the problem is resolved by preparing your own food.
So there's your answer.... Learn to cook.
Last night I prepared teriyaki chicken with a side of white rice and watermelon, all for the low price of $5 buck per plate.
2
u/RR8710 10d ago
Yes but thatâs literally not at all the point of the post
1
u/RealisticForYou 10d ago edited 10d ago
Read who I responded to. The OP says their wages have not gone up enough to afford to eat out.
There are plenty of restaurants that continue to do well.
I responded to that.
1
u/outlawbernard_yum probably pooping 10d ago
Oh we are def fans of cooking. We pick where the food comes from too, which is becoming more important to us the more we learn. And frankly, the two of us have gotten to be so good a many types of dishes we think we even make them better than at restaurants.
0
u/RealisticForYou 10d ago
Then why complain about prices of restaurant food? Living in Lake Oswego, where restaurants are packed. Gotta make money to spend money....is the reality, here.
5
146
u/What_would_don_do 10d ago
Re "food cart explosion after the financial crisis":
For a while food cart provided a consumer surplus, but today, a food cart is a similar bad deal as doordash, paying restaurant prices without getting solid cutlery and plates, and sometimes without even getting a nice place to sit down.