:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71013328/1241461827.0.jpg)
On June 22, Portland’s City Council voted to extend its cap on the fees third-party delivery apps can charge restaurant owners. Originally put into place via emergency order in July 2020, the ordinance prevents companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats from charging more than 10 percent in commission from Portland restaurants, bars, and food carts. The order was set to expire on June 29, but it has now been extended until February 2023.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, use of food deliveries apps spiked, and apps were charging as much as 30 percent of the total cost of an order, cutting into restaurants’ already thin profit margins. As a result, restaurant owners and activists began pushing for restrictions on the amounts third-party apps can charge food businesses for access to the app. The ordinance was built as a temporary response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but for many in the industry, the impact of the pandemic still puts a significant financial strain on their ability to do business. Prominent industry figures including Kurt Huffman of the ChefStable Group, Kim Jong Grillin owner Han Ly Hwang, Sebastiano’s co-founder Daniel Gold, and Cooperativa owner Anna Caporael testified at a hearing on Wednesday, urging city council to extend the cap. The ordinance can be found in full here.
Portland Ranks Among Top Three Pizza Cities in the Country
50 Top Pizza, an Italian guide dedicated to ranking pizzerias across the world complete with anonymous inspectors, recently released the 2022 list for the United States. Portland tied with San Francisco to claim five of those 50 spots, trailing behind New York City, which had nine restaurants represented. The Portland restaurants named to the list are: Ken’s Artisan Pizza (#11), Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (#16), Apizza Scholls (#18), Nostrana (#40), and Scottie’s Pizza Parlor (#43).
Montavilla Farmers Market Will Open Thursday Evenings
The pared down market, called Thursdays on the Plaza, will run from 4 to 7 p.m. from July through September at Southeast 79th and Stark Street. In addition to produce and other market staples, shoppers will find a Threshold Brewing beer garden, live music, and vendors like Indian ice cream cart Kulfi PDX and Montavilla neighbor Sebastiano’s, a Sicilian bakery and deli.
