Showerthought: The new 'budget' food hall in Portland is missing the point

They charge $14 for a basic bean and rice bowl, which feels like the opposite of affordable eating. Has anyone found a spot there that's actually cheap?

5 comments

5 Comments

the_mary1mo ago

What's even the point of a budget food hall if nothing's cheap? Blair990 is right, that bean bowl price is a joke, and it shows they just slapped a trendy label on regular overpriced food. The whole place feels like a scam for people who don't know what real budget eats are.

xena_hernandez985d ago

Actually, I should point out that the bean bowl is $12, not $14. I was there last week and checked the menu myself because I couldn't believe it either. Still too much for beans, don't get me wrong, but getting the price wrong makes it sound even worse than it is. The real problem is they market themselves as budget friendly when a sandwich at the place next door costs half that. I've run my own cleaning business for years, so I know a thing or two about pricing and value. You can charge more if the quality matches, but beans are beans no matter how you dress them up. The whole "heritage" label is just a way to make people feel like they're getting something fancy when they're really just paying for rice and legumes.

blair9901mo ago

I used to defend that place until I saw the $14 bean bowl.

cora_west51mo ago

The new food hall on Market Street calls itself a budget spot, but their prices tell a different story. Fourteen dollars for a bowl of beans feels like a personal insult. It's like they think putting it in a concrete bowl and calling it "heritage beans" justifies the cost. You can get a full meal at three other places on the same block for that price.

paulnguyen5d ago

Walked in there once, saw the prices, and walked right back out without buying anything.