Oregon tourism comeback: 'There is no Portland without the culinary scene'
Portland restaurants are a critical contributor to the regional travel economy. GETTY IMAGES | LOVEGULI
By Malia Spencer – Portland Inno, Portland Business Journal
May 24, 2024
Updated May 24, 2024 7:41pm PDT
Portland’s national reputation has taken a hit in recent years, but there is one aspect of it that has continued to sizzle.
“Nobody is saying the food isn’t good,” said Marcus Hibdon, communications director for Travel Portland, which markets the region to tourists, meeting planners and conventions. “Food and culinary has always been an integral part of our marketing campaigns. Food and the Portland experience are synonymous with each other. There is no Portland without the culinary scene.”
The region's eclectic mix of award-winning restaurants, superstar chefs, food carts and pop-ups are making a serious contribution to the economy.
Of the $5.4 billion travelers spent in the region last year, food service accounted for $927 million, according to Travel Portland's 2024 State of the Industry report. That spending supports thousands of jobs, with more than 21,500 food service and accommodation jobs in the region directly tied to travel.
Restaurateur Angel Medina operates three restaurants — República, Lilia Comedor and De Noche — under his República & Co. umbrella. República, the restaurant, has been a
Marcus Hibdon is vice president of communications for Travel Portland. TRAVEL PORTLANDJames Beard Award nominee and been highlighted on national culinary lists, including Bon Appetit's list of the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022.
“That (national) recognition transformed us from a tiny little Mexican joint to an acclaimed multi-restaurant Mexico-forward hospitality company,” he said. “But it didn’t just confirm the things we felt we already knew, more importantly it validated the people in this town who had already been saying these things about us; our families, our staff, our guests, and of course the words by our local press who wrote piece after piece about us and truly amplified our message before anyone at the Beard Foundation, Bon Appetit, or the New York Times knew who we were.”
Tourists are a huge part of his business, Medina said, noting that tables for two at República on Friday and Saturday nights are typically booked by people visiting from out of town. That’s roughly seven out of every 10 guests, he estimates.
Selling the Portland story
Portland's restaurant story is unique, which Hibdon said makes Travel Portland's job easier. Food in Portland is accessible he said, with an authenticity that visitors appreciate. The region is filled with chef-owned or chef-driven restaurants, which means diners can often watch the chef at work in the kitchen or even speak to the chef about the meal.
Medina said the embrace of authenticity is evident with the diners his restaurants serve.
"Tourists coming into town are some of our best guests. They really do understand the mission,” he said, alluding to the storytelling that goes into the dining experience at República. “They not only plan weeks ahead, but also, when the time comes for dinner, they are very present and attentive. They are curious, they are happy, they are grateful. Our job is simply to make sure that they undergo what we hope can be a transformative dining experience.”
REPÚBLICA HOSPITALITY
Medina said diners appreciate honesty and the cultural boundaries that República stands by. For instance, the margarita on the drink menu is called “What Happened in 1519,” evoking the year the Spanish landed in what is now Mexico.
“That same honesty and intentionality ... is what attracts so many people that travel to Portland just to come support our restaurants,” he said. “We know this because they tell us. We rely so much on them coming here that we think of ourselves not just as storytellers and messengers of our own culture, but also, ambassadors of the beautiful things that are happening in this city.”
Melissa Broussard, founder of the public relations firm Broussard Communications, has represented hospitality clients for 20 years. Her firm has seven employees.
She said national press and recognition also gets the attention of locals. When iconic Portland farm-to-table restaurant Paley’s Place landed on the cover of the New York Times Dining section in the early 2000s, it propelled the culinary scene for outsiders and gave locals an opportunity to say, “Paley’s place has always been my favorite,” she said.
Angel Medina is co-owner of República & Co , the hospitality group behind fine dining restaurants República and Comedor Lilia.“It’s an interesting thing where food tourism helps bring travelers in, which helps restaurants a lot, but the national media that gets those food tours in also helps the local business be busier,” she said.
Conferences, feasts and meetings
Conferences can be a boon to any city's economy, with attendees filling up hotels and restaurants. Not only do visitors spend money while they're in town, they can also spread the word about Portland's culinary scene to friends, family, and in the case of TravelCon, followers.
That event, happening May 15-17, has drawn thousands of social media travel content creators and influencers to town to network and learn how to build their businesses. The event has also given Portland a stage to showcase its culinary chops to influencers with huge media followings.
It was a big win for Portland, Hibdon said.
Another culinary score has been the Good Food Foundation's deepening connection to Portland. The San Francisco-based nonprofit supports socially and environmentally aware food and beverage makers and independent retailers through an awards program, a membership guild and a merchant alliance.
In April, the foundation drew 1,000 people to its awards show at the Armory and Good Food Mercantile at the Oregon Convention Center. It's a draw that is filling a vital role left vacant when the long-running Feast food festival ended in the wake of the pandemic.
"(The Good Food Awards) is filling that space in a different way and keeping Portland on the center stage when it comes to the food community nationally," said Kim Malek, CEO of the growing ice cream retailer Salt & Straw.
Keeping Portland's food scene at the forefront helps not only businesses in Portland but the Portland brands that spread beyond the Rose City. Malek noted that at pop-ups in New York City, where she will soon open stores, people waiting in line said they'd previously been to Salt & Straw locations in Portland.
Portland-based Choi's Kimchi Co 's booth at the 2023 Good Food Awards Mercantile held in Portland In 2023, the Good Food Awards came to Portland marking the first time the event was held outside San Francisco. SARAH GRAVES
"We asked them, 'why were you in Portland?,' and what we heard most often was, 'I was on vacation, I went to eat,'" she said.
Comments like that are especially encouraging at a time when the national spotlight shown on Portland often highlights the negative. República’s Medina said the food will continue to attract people, but addressing the challenges facing Portland, such as the very visible drug and mental health crisis, has to be a priority.
“As a city with a culinary scene that keeps shedding its old self and evolving into something far more equitable, none of that is really relevant if we cannot convince those that are not from here to come and truly see it for themselves,” he said, adding, “It's quite simple: clean up this mess. The rest, you can leave up to us.”
Kim Malek is CEO of Salt & Straw COURTESY OF KIM MALEK