A new report carried out by the Portland Bureau of Planning and Portland State University says food carts are good for neighborhood vitality, and is encouraging the City of Portland to identify more locations for them. The report, which you can download here, makes for interesting reading, but it does rather gloss over conflicts that have arisen between food carts and storefront business owners in the past.
For example, the first paragraph reads: “According to an Oregonian article, a business owner near a new cluster of food carts on Hawthorne Blvd. acknowledged that the carts have increased his business due to the popularity of the carts.” Then it references this article by Steve Duin at the Oregonian, which spends 11 paragraphs describing tension between the owners of a new food cart in the parking lot next door to Tiny’s Coffee, and Tiny’s owner Phil Ragaway, who said:
“I’m all for small business; I’m a small business,” Ragaway said. “But the carts aren’t playing by the same rules. I’m the guy paying the development charges. They don’t have facilities such as bathrooms and (running) water. My water bills have more than doubled. My trash cans were overflowing.”
The “business owner” who “acknowledges” there’s more business? Issac Dweik, who owns the Shell station south of the intersection.
Come on, people. If you’re writing with an agenda, at least be honest about it. Now, what do people think of a food cart catering to the needs of homeless people? How’s that for increasing pedestrian foot traffic? Or would it be the wrong kind of foot traffic? Perhaps Peterson’s could open a downtown convenience cart aimed specifically at liberal Nazi gentrifiers in need a pack of smokes. He could call it “A Convenient Truth.” Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.
I don’t get it. What’s Issac’s agenda?
To push food carts as the solution to all of downtown’s problems.
I thought porn was the solution?
Give ’em a break, it’s a grad school project. It has more fluff that a pillow factory.
Good work, Matt. You’ve discovered that yet another character-defining thing about Portland that most people love is actually a nefarious plot on the part of The Man. Or something. If it weren’t for you making the personal sacrifice of moving here and forming opinions, we wouldn’t realise how much Portland actually sucks.
Report sure skips over regulatory issues with what seems like a HUGE overstatement: “Despite the persistent misconception that food carts are under-regulated, the Multnomah County Health Department regulates carts in the same way that all businesses that prepare and sell food are regulated.”
Then why don’t carts have hand washing and toilet facilities?
So, how about toilet carts? These are micro-enterprises that business owners near cart sites might welcome.
PHLUSHer: How is that an overstatement?
Matt: OK. I get it. It’s hip to rant about “liberal Nazi gentrifiers.”
In other words, The Mercury blog seems to be degentrifying from an alt-college mindset to an alt-middle school mindset.
First off, let me admit my bias here: I’m dating one of the co-authors of that report, and have been privy to much of the decision-making that went into what to include, and what areas to measure, and how to present the results.
Read the rest of the report. They address the issue of fairness, the perceptions and preferences of storefront competitors, and actually (gasp!) go so far as to make constructive recommendations for how to support cart owners who want to make the step up to brick-and-mortar shops.
You don’t have to agree with their conclusions, but don’t skim the opening pages of a scientifically-measured and carefully-prepared report and dismiss it because it doesn’t play into recent “controversy” mostly constructed by your colleagues in the press.
The report is fulffenbutter produced from the City of Portland “The City that always sleeps”
The PSU kids haphazardly asked some of my staff members while doing the interviewing investigation process. They were already on a preprogrammed agenda holding a selective perception when they started the interview. They have no idea of the impact food carts have on small business nor really wanted to hear it.
The City of Portland The City that always sleeps…
As far as I can tell, the carts at 12th and Hawthorne have become an excellent addition to the neighborhood! Everyone seems to be winning – even the Shell station. I can’t even fathom why Tiny’s Coffee has such a problem with their new neighbors… (Garbage and water??) The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that Tiny’s no longer has all the “free” parking they used to enjoy at the expense of the previous property owners. Maybe this is the cause of all the animosity – not the businesses that are there now. Remember, Phil said he’s all for “small business”. How much smaller of a business can you be – if not a foodcart!
Every time I see something involving Phil Ragaway, his cheerleaders come out and feign 3rd party interest.
The point is, the food carts are operating on space they rented. If you don’t like it, buy them out, or work an agreement out with them.
Or I guess you can continue whining to the teacher, and meet them after school in the basketball court for a pushing match.
Interesting – reading this… The hypocrisy! Genies, on Division between 11th and 12th is another in the Ragaway empire… And what, pray tell is that situated on his driveway? Why, he has rented space to a…. Food Cart Vendor!
WTF is “Fluffenbutter” anyway?
Someone should open a coffee cart on that lot @ 12th & Burnside. I bet they’d get a lot of business.
Phil, being a small buiness owner yourself you should know how important people are for buiness. I’ve lived near your buiness for years. Watching that ugly parking lot day in and day out with trashy looking people and cars. It’s a pleasure finally seeing the lot getting some pleasant use out of it. FINALLY!!!!!
I went in your coffee shop 1 time. It sucked!!! A bunch of dirty hippie’s just hanging out nursing 1 cup of coffee for an hour on there laptop’s how is that making money for you?? Look’s like the property is finally making it a fun place for EVERYBODY to enjoy! Just because it’s taking all your business don’t be a hater!!
I disagree with the city report because it did not address health issues like hot water and bathrooms, trash services and infrastructure issues related to carts.
I have no problem with food carts themselves or the concept to enable startups, it a great idea and should be supported but there are also the elements of what happens when you have reckless operators. I just happen to have one next to me that cares for nothing more than shaking down the small operators for free food and high rents and acts like a bull in a china shop.
Only if that parking lot had a responsible operator it would be great… beyond the overflowing trash cans, the stench of blackened fried fish being pumped into my building at an arms reach to their vent, tarps tents umbrellas flying into customers cars, watching operators dump oil and grey water into the corner rain drain only to clog it with each rain storm, Piles of vomit, alcohol and trash debris, increased graffiti, to go containers scattered each morning, fireworks being set off, parties blowing up from 10 pm to 5 am. It’s one thing to have a responsible operation and another to build a gin blossom festival fair ground in a residential neighborhood. Since they are mobile units the same laws do not apply to regular businesses. I do not see how they meet the city requirement of a food cart as stated here : http://www.portlandonline.com/BDS/INDEX.CF…
Phil – this entire hate-fest you have started has nothing what so ever to do with food carts. At all. It is due solely to the fact that you have hard feelings about losing out on a real estate transaction. You passed on the deal – my boss picked it up. Since the very beginning (before food carts) you have made egregious allegations concerning the validity of the sale itself. All BS. Your biggest hurt feeling was the day I introduced myself as the guy asking if you would now like to pay for all the free parking you enjoyed at Burgervilles expense. It’s been 3 years now. I’ve collected all the bogus complaints you have ever made – to every agency you could find that would listen. Makes for an interesting read. All because of a spoiled boys feelings of misplaced entitlement. Grow up – get over it.
“…that cares for nothing more than shaking down the small operators for free food and high rents and acts like a bull in a china shop.”
This cracks me up. That all you got?
Besides staging photos? 😉
I have animosity and disgust for antisocial business owners…
But it’s tiny.
“…Piles of vomit, alcohol and trash debris, increased graffiti, to go containers scattered each morning, fireworks being set off, parties blowing up from 10 pm to 5 am. It’s one thing to have a responsible operation and another to build a gin blossom festival fair ground in a residential neighborhood…”
Sounds like BOG, Tanker, Bossanova and Shanghai’s all rolled into one… But this particular party in question you seem to like mentioning – WAS AT YOUR PROPERTY off Madison.
I find it very amusing that a dive bar owner/”expert” like yourself isn’t smart enough to figure out that all the BS – “smiley face” PR you like to spread for yourself is being seen right through for what it is. You fool no one.
Except for maybe – yourself. That would explain a whole lot.