The owners of Big-Ass Sandwiches, in years past one of the shinier stars in Portland’s fast spinning food cart firmament, say it looks like they’re going to be pushed from their Central Eastside location due to development.
Now the cart, known for absurdly portioned, french-fry stuffed sandwiches, is casting about for a new home.
“They’re demolishing the building behind us,” co-founder Lisa Wood says, adding that her landlord, Craig Sweitzer, said the cart “should plan to be out by spring.” Wood and her husband Brian took to Twitter earlier today to announce the move, and solicit ideas for a new location.
(1/2) Looks like we’re getting kicked out of our spot to make way for new development…seems to be a theme in Portland these days.
— Big-Ass Sandwiches (@bigasssandwich) January 13, 2015
(2/2) After the year we had, this is quite possibly the worst news. We’re going over all of our options and will keep you posted, as always.
— Big-Ass Sandwiches (@bigasssandwich) January 13, 2015
It’s unclear what project is in the works at the property, a warehouse at 304 SE 2nd. Sweitzer tells the Mercury a deal is pending, but isn’t ready to be announced yet. He says he just gave the Woods a heads up that something might happen, and that their announcement is premature.
“We’ve got a project we’re working on, and it’s not time to comment on it at all,” Sweitzer says. “I’m surprised they’re saying anything.”
Wood, though she doesn’t know specifics, says the development is a bar or restaurant, and that “we’re going to be in the way of their beer garden.”
Opened downtown in 2009, Big-Ass Sandwiches quickly became a gleeful obsession for the Portland masses, attracting a good deal of local and national press. In 2012, the Woods moved the cart across the river, citing ongoing issues with their landlord, City Center Parking.
“We just liked the neighborhood and hoped we’d be able to stay,” Wood says. And they will stay, if they’re allowed. There are no hard plans to close, and the cart is on a month-to-month lease with Sweitzer’s company.
The tough year the Woods alluded to in their tweets references a second Big-Ass cart they opened last year on N Mississippi. It proved unprofitable, and had to close.
“It sucked our summer dry,” Wood says.
The great thing about situations like this, of course, is they lack the necessary permanence of some of the tough closures Portland’s seen in the last year. But Lisa Wood says moving a cart is tricky. It can be costly, and whoever the new landlord is will probably want first and last month’s rent.
“We would like to consider any options that come up,” she says.
DEATH to the central eastside industrial area. Hooray for making that place the new mother fucking Pearl district.
Oh and big ass is officially responsible for my cholesterol level. I’ll go back there as soon as get these stints out.
“I’m surprised they’re saying anything.”
Translation: I’m surprised that a simple food cart doesn’t have access to a sophisticated high-dollar PR firm like we do that can advise them on making carefully worded, appropriately nuanced statements to the public when their livelihood is at stake.
Golly gee, you know food cart pods were never intended to be permanent? They’re a stopgap measure that landlords use to profit off otherwise unused space.
Maybe it’s time Big-Ass graduated to a brick-and-mortar?
That said, haven’t eaten there since the owners whined all over twitter about having to give their employees sick leave. Boo hoo hoo, and besides, who wants to eat an influenza sandwich?
They realize they’re a symptom of development, right? Food carts occupy spaces just long enough to make them, and the neighborhood, seem trendy and accessible to gentrifiers. It’s the nature of the beast. The timing sucks, but you can’t possibly be that surprised that your business on wheels has to move every few years.
It’s a food cart on a month-to-month lease . . . just use the wheels and move.
Well, unfortunately, thier sandwiches aren’t good, just gimmicky. Good quality food will always make you money with return business. Dry meat, bland cheese sauce, oily fries. Aardvark sauce shouldn’t be the best thing about a sandwich. I’ve eaten here multiple times hoping for redemption, but was never able to love it. Food carts have to move. Put the fucker on wheels and make it a legit roaming cart. Don’t complain about things that aren’t for sure. If I hadn’t stopped eating there long ago, thier whining and complaining would have put me off their cart for good.
Not surprised their Missippippi location failed, it’s pretty dead around there during the daytime. Anyone douching it up around there after dark ain’t likely gonna want a “Big Ass” gutbuster carbo load. The CEID location seemed to attract a lot of dudes wearing fluorescent vests and prepping for their next heart attack. Maybe Swan Island would be a good place to capture that market? Assuming they could stand up to the challenge of TILT… and McDonald’s.
There’s plenty of open food cart spaces for lease all over town, shouldn’t be hard to find another location with a little effort. Or there’s always the option of just whining about it.