With some of Portland’s most beloved downtown food cart pods on the chopping block, the world of Portland food carts has been in a state of flux. Now two pods boasting some of the city’s most popular food carts will close by September 1: The Gantry Food Carts at Zidell Yards and the Cubby Hole, located on NE Alberta and 15th.

The Cubby Hole Situation

This pod at NE Alberta and 15th is home to four food carts, including one of the hottest food carts in the city, Desi PDX, and the Oregonian’s best new food cart of 2017, Gumba. But it appears the new property owners have other plans: According to multiple sources, the carts were given seven weeks notice that they must vacate the property by September 1.

At the time of publishing, the food carts are maintaining regular hours, but they are also currently looking for a new venue — with promises of free food. Gumba writes:

Well, the future of the Cubby Hole pod is no longer up in the air: Gravity has sent us spinning back down to earth where we've landed it a pile of dog shit. The new owners of the lot are giving us until September 1 to get out. So the search for a new home has officially begun! More than anything, I'd like to remain on Alberta with my podmates; if anyone has a good lead, we're open to investing in making a new pod. I’m also into the idea of some smaller lots I've seen on the street, capable of doing a stand-alone cart, or I'll even set up in your driveway . Free month of food if you find me a spot on Alberta, deal?

The Gantry Food Carts at Zidell Yards Situation

Almost two years to the date of its founding, this food cart pod serving the South Waterfront and OHSU announced it was closing and all of its carts must leave by August 31. In part, The Gantry Food Pod at Zidell Yards announcement reads:

The Zidell team is preparing to clean up the land surrounding the barge building and get it ready for redevelopment. It is necessary for us to close this food cart pod at the end of August so we can install construction fencing along Moody Avenue and begin this redevelopment work.

Some of the food carts have already relocated, including Thai Street, which has moved to a new pod opening this Friday: Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod. Hapa Ramen has also left, but its locations inside the Portland Food Hall and SE Division’s Tidbit food cart pod remain open.

Food carts are iconic to Portland, and with the latest closures, it’s time again to question what’s best for the city. Relocating can put a lot of pressure on food cart owners. Should the city do more to protect food carts against development?

But new food cart pods, like the Pioneer Courthouse Square project and Scout Beer’s forthcoming five-cart pod on SE Division, seem to be opening as quickly as established food cart pods are closing. Could it be that concerns over the Portland food cart scene are being overblown?