Small Bites: bb.q Chicken, Layoffs, Frontera Sur, and More

Chicken dishes from bb.q Chicken on this edition of Small Bites. — Photo credit: bb.q Chicken.

bb.q Chicken celebrates 30 years. The folks from Korean fried chicken chain bb.q Chicken reached out to me to inform me that this September marks bb.q Chicken’s 30th anniversary. And not only that, it’s also the birthday of their beloved mascot, ChiBBoQ. To celebrate, they are rolling out a nationwide promotion: free delivery September 4 to 7 and free ddeok-bokki (one of the best street foods ever) September 8 to 12. 2850 SE 82nd Avenue #2 and 917 SW Alder Street, Portland

Delta Carts grand opening party is tomorrow. On Saturday, August 30 from 4pm to 10pm the Delta Carts Food Pod in North Portland is celebrating its grand opening. There will be food from the various carts, beer on tap, games, live music by Scott Pemberton O Theory, and DJ George “the Mixologist” will be spinning. Free to attend. 1223 N Hayden Meadows Drive, Portland

1919 turns one in September. The SE Division Street lounge and restaurant 1919 has been in business for about a year, and next month they are celebrating that first anniversary. On Sunday, September 14 from noon to 8pm, there will be food and drink specials, plus live performances by Robert Meade (1pm to 3pm) and Adlai Alexander (4pm to 6pm). 3588 SE Division Street, Portland

Cheap Eats in Portland on City Cast. Stumptown Savings‘ Bryan Vance was recently on the City Cast Portland podcast with the 411 on under-$15 eats in town. He pointed out some of my favorites: the $5 bánh mì and a drink deal at Hồng Phát and the happy hour deal for a Margherita pie at Pizzeria Otto. Multiple locations

Labor Day at Company. Company, a “wine bar and bottle shop in a garage off Belmont,” will host a cookout on Labor Day. Lupine and Machetes will be on hand serving up food. 5:30pm is the stated start time but they warn you to get there early before things start selling out. 916 SE 34th Avenue, Suite B, Portland

The OG Suki’s has closed. After 29 years in business, the original Suki’s bar closed permanently on Friday, August 15. It was known for its karaoke and Korean fusion food. The reason they closed? Suki’s owner Phil Chung is taking on “a new role as a management consultant with Premier Consulting Group,” according to KOIN. Apparently the building is for sale, too. But all is not lost: Suki’s 2 (3006 SE Hawthorne) will remain open. 401 SW 4th Avenue, Portland

SakéOne’s OysterFest is next month in Forest Grove. On Sunday, September 7, the annual OysterFest will take place at SakéOne. Oysters + saké + a gathering of oyster enthusiasts = a great time. Your ticket gets you a welcome drink (choice of a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa), a glass to take home, a special curated saké flight, snacks, and live music. There will be ceviche and vegan ceviche, along with other snacks available as add-on foods. (Monday, September 1 is the last day to put in your food orders.)

Tickets are $33.85 via Eventbrite (includes fee) for two sessions: 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. Free parking, too. This is a 21+ event. 820 Elm Street, Forest Grove

Layoffs at Portland Fred Meyer HQ. Kroger, which is the parent company of Fred Meyer, will force quit the jobs of 100 employees in Portland. A spokesperson spit out some corporate boilerplate statement to explain the reason for disrupting these workers’ lives:

“Kroger has been working toward simplifying our organization, shifting resources closer to customers and focusing on work that creates the most value. As part of this effort, today, we announced structural changes to our administrative teams across the U.S. that included a meaningful number of associate reductions.”

“Shifting resources closer to customers”—I’d love to know what they mean by that. If you want to know what the C-Suite is earning, USA Today reported that Kroger paid former CEO Rodney McMullen a salary of $15.4 million in 2024. Color me disgusted with the whole thing. Looking for alternative places to shop? Here’s our roundup of supermarket alternatives.

Celebration of Life for James Kai Louie. James Louie’s public memorial will be on Saturday, September 13 at 2pm at Rise Church in Tigard. All are welcome. Parking is limited. Louie was the owner of Huber’s for many years. Huber’s will open that day at 5pm. 10445 SW Canterbury Lane, Tigard

Frontera Sur’s soft opening is today. Head over to this restaurant in the old Zell’s space, that will be serving up Mexican and Guatemalan dishes. They open at 4pm. 20% off your bill all weekend, too! 1300 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Barista Brew has closed. After 10 years in business, this coffee shack on NE Sandy in Parkrose has closed. Kristin, the owner, posted on Instagram, “Due to the passing of my husband, I have made the difficult decision to close Barista Brew Coffee & Tea and focus on my daughter at this time.” She is asking for privacy at this difficult time. 10209 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Vault 13 Espresso will open in Beaverton. Named after Vault 13 in the Fallout universe, this is a Fallout-inspired coffee shop near Washington Square. The previous tenant was, I believe, Creekside Brewing and Tap Room. Their tagline is “best caffeine dealer in the wasteland.” They’ll have an espresso/coffee bar, chairs and tables, a reading nook, board games, and I wonder if they will have any Fallout game nights. Look for them to open “later this year.”

Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine announced their Rockwood Market Hall location. Makers of some of the best Burmese food in Portland, Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine announced their updated location situation: a new location at Rockwood Market Hall. They had been popping up at Sea and River (also at Rockwood Market Hall), and also at events like New Year in the Park. Now, it looks like they have their own space. “We look forward to continuing our legacy of bringing Myanmar food and culture to the people at this exciting new location! Please stop by and have a taste!” 458 SE 185th Avenue, Portland

Angelina’s Greek Gyro’s will open a new cart on Hayden Island. This Sunday, August 31 from 2pm to 6pm, head to Hayden Island for the grand opening of the new Angelina’s Greek Gyro’s food cart. There will be a ribbon cutting, photo booth, batch cocktails, belly dancers, raffles, swag bags, and of course, Greek food. 900 N Tomahawk Island Drive, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Hey Luigi Will Open in Slabtown in Northwest Portland
Dirty Drinks Are Happening in Portland
Bon Bánh Mì Has Finally Opened in East Portland
Urdaneta: Making the Unfamiliar Familiar in Portland