FLOCK Is The New Face of Portland’s Food Cart Scene
While Portlanders call them food “carts” instead of trucks, the key ingredients that generate their popularity are consistent everywhere you go.
According to the article, “People love food trucks because of their diverse culinary offerings, often served in close proximity to one another. One of the hardest parts of eating out is deciding where you want to go and what you want to eat, and food trucks solve for that.”
In Portland, carts have gained an almost cult-like following, becoming a staple for mid-day meals and culinary exploration among the downtown professional class as well as in “pods” that are dispersed around the city’s residential and commercial neighborhood. Carts also offer an opportunity for talented young chefs to explore their culinary interests and share new concepts with the public with relatively low overhead compared to opening a full, brick-and-mortar restaurant. And their success has, in many instances, led to those same carts evolving into full restaurants.
The “pod” concept takes an upward turn with the creation of FLOCK, a curated collection of Portland’s best-loved carts together in a beautifully designed space in downtown Portland. While the cross streets are familiar (this was the spot of the popular Alder Street Food Carts) the setting is completely new. Housed in the sparkling new Block 216 tower, which is also the home of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Portland and The Ritz-Carlton, Portland hotel, this beautiful space will celebrate Portland’s food culture with an eye toward its bright future.
In curating the roster of vendors, Lee and Kim sought out the best chefs in the city, ensuring top-quality food and service with a variety of diverse cuisines. These chefs already have a dedicated following in the city, and are excited to reimagine their menus for the space. FLOCK will also include a rotating vendor space, which will feature pop-ups from additional local businesses. The current vendor list includes:
● Magna Kusina presents Sunrice
● Suzaku: Sushi and Japanese fare
The 8,000-square-foot space designed by Portland-based Woodblock Architecture brings the downtown area a distinctive quick-service dining experience featuring an online ordering system for both takeout and dine-in options. Created with community in mind, FLOCK will offer both indoor and outdoor seating for up to 134 people with roll-up windows opening onto SW 9th St., which will feature chicane barriers to limit car access and allow outdoor pop-up events to spill into the street year-round.
