Food carts in Portland, Oregon

The city of Portland, Oregon, United States, has experienced a boom in the number of food carts due to relatively low regulation compared to other North American cities.

[3][4] A bidding war in February 2001 led to a combined price of $192,000 for the spaces.

[5][6] Most North American cities sought to make the street for cars in the mid twentieth century, and thus imposed strict regulations on food carts, which led to few food carts remaining.

In comparison, Portland has low regulation, such as having nearly no requirement for a food cart to have a particular structure, which makes the cost of entry low, and thus leading to a proliferation of carts.

Defunct food carts include Baby Blue Pizza, El Gallo Taqueria, Holy Trinity Barbecue, PDX671, and Sweet Lorraine's.