Oldest Food Cart Pod In Portland Gets New Lease On Life As "Midtown Beer Garden”

May 18, 2023 at 09:00 AM EDT

Renovations begin today to offer a safe and fun outdoor dining experience as a step towards revitalizing the midtown Portland community

Expensify, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXFY), a payments superapp that helps individuals and businesses around the world simplify the way they manage money across expenses, corporate cards, and bills, today announced its plans to reinvent the food carts located on SW 5th Avenue between SW Harvey Milk & SW Oak Streets.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230518005024/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

As a local business owner, Expensify is doing its part to elevate its neighborhood starting with major improvements to the SW 5th Avenue food cart pod. Even before COVID, this pod faced vandalism and did not offer customers a seating area or bathroom facilities.

"The Expensify global headquarters are right next door to the food truck pod on 5th and Harvey Milk, and we go there every day," said David Barrett, founder and CEO of Expensify. "It wasn't doing great before COVID, and the quarantine sure didn't help. Then, on top of everything, a cart blew up in the middle of the night, wiping out many of the few carts remaining, knocking out windows for a block around. It's had a long string of bad luck, and we're going to work with the rest of Midtown to turn that around."

ChefStable, an owner and partner with many Portland restaurants, is the operating partner for this project. They have assisted Expensify with obtaining permits, architect plans, and securing a general contractor. Some of the additional features to be added include:

Electrical, water, natural gas and direct-to-sewer connections for each cart
Seating for over 300 people
Tents with heaters
Onsite security guard and security patrol during hours the pod is closed
New asphalt
Large bar cart in the center of the pod
Events and music stage

“We’re grateful Expensify is committed to creating a brighter future for the food carts on 5th Ave.,” says Christian Lee with Korean Twist, whose cart has been at this location since 2008. “Many cart owners here have felt uncertain about what the future holds and we’re excited about the improvements that will be made for enhanced security with a built-in fence and giving customers a place to sit to enjoy their lunch.”

Barrett continues, “It's going to take a lot of sustained, creative effort from all of us to transform the community from its current status into a real mark of pride for the city. But we're here for the long haul, and I can't wait to relax with a beer in the sun at the new heart of a vibrant Midtown.”

Contact Expensify at pdxcommunity@expensify.com if interested in becoming a vendor or want to collaborate on downtown community improvement initiatives. Additionally, anyone can earn $1,000 cash by referring a food/beverage cart that is accepted and signs a one-year lease. Stay tuned for updates at www.midtownbeergarden.com.

About Expensify

Expensify is a payments superapp that helps individuals and businesses around the world simplify the way they manage money. More than 12 million people use Expensify's free features, which include corporate cards, expense tracking, next-day reimbursement, invoicing, bill pay, payroll, travel booking, and chat in one app. All free. Whether you own a small business, manage a team, or close the books for your clients, Expensify makes it easy so you have more time to focus on what really matters.