Portland State University Café Satisfies Hunger, Sustainably

By Christian Gaston, Portland Tribune

- - - - -

At Portland State University, sustainability is a hot topic after scoring a $25 million grant aimed at turning the campus into a hub for sustainability studies. But at Food For Thought Cafe, the student-run co-op, sustainability has been the name of the game for years.

Yes, they have no bananas (they can’t be sourced locally), but they do have fresh-baked bread, vegan cookies and daily lunch specials ranging from vegan “cheesy” pasta to fresh (and plentiful) salads, all for under $5. “We make it a point to keep our prices low for students,” says Joel Eisenhower, who juggles his work at Food For Thought with studies in arts and letters and a trio of other jobs. Though prices are kept low with students in mind, anyone can eat at Food For Thought, located at Smith Memorial Student Union on 1825 S.W. Broadway.

“We see ourselves as a service to the student body, even as we try to connect with the broader community,” Eisenhower says. And pretty much anyone would appreciate the cafe’s prices. Two eggs and home fries cost $3.50. Stumptown coffee costs $1 if you bring your own cup. Those prices haven’t changed much since the cafe opened in 2003.

The cafe operates as a university-sanctioned student group. That helps reduce rent and gives the not-for-profit eatery access to $16,270 in student fee money each year to help balance the books. One goal this year is to increase income in order to become independent of student fee money, Eisenhower says. During the 2007-08 school year, the vegan/vegetarian cafe made $169,000 in food sales, and the students who run Food For Thought think they’ll be able to make more by increasing their catering business and doing more outreach.

One thing that will help sales, they hope, is the addition of a street-level entrance south of the student union, just west of Broadway. Since the cafe opened, it has been tucked away in the basement, with little outside signage. “There are so many people who don’t know this place exists,” says cafe employee Drew Danin. But early in November, university workers finished a construction project that gave the cafe a dedicated stairway leading up to the street.

Customers Find it Anyway

Considering how hard it has been to find, the place still is pretty busy. “Our business has showed continuing growth over the last several years, and does not show any signs of slowing,” Eisenhower says. Estimates peg daily sales at between 300 and 500 transactions during the school year. The cafe is closed during PSU vacation breaks.

While new PSU President Wim Wiewel hasn’t had a chance to eat lunch at Food For Thought yet, he says the spirit behind the cafe shows there’s a hunger for sustainability at Portland State. “It’s one of those wonderful things of being at a university where there’s entrepreneurship and innovation everywhere,” Wiewel says. “You have a student body that’s passionate and committed and just starts doing cool things.” And the fact that the cafe mixes well with Wiewel’s goal to make PSU a center for sustainable academics makes it even more relevant. “This particular one happens to fit very well with something that we see as a signature area for us. And that makes it all the more exciting,” Wiewel says.

Food For Thought was going green before Wiewel arrived in town last May. The cafe’s original organizers pushed the university to allow them to compost their food waste before the whole campus went compost-friendly. Vegetables are procured from local farmers and community gardens, and the cafe relies on local dairy items.

“It is conducting business in a way that doesn’t compromise future generations’ ability to do business,” Eisenhower says.

Hierarchy Scrapped

That’s not all that separates the cafe from other restaurants. There are no job titles at Food For Thought. Instead, decisions are made by consensus of the 30 student employees. That model encourages spontaneity and helps create a collective atmosphere. Every morning, two Food For Thought employees open up the kitchen at 6:30 and see what’s in the pantry. By the time the cafe opens at 7:30 a.m., the kitchen is slinging its standby for non-vegan customers: free-range eggs and home fries. When lunch rolls around, it’s a little more free form. “For lunch it’s pretty much whatever they’re inspired by,” Danin says.

For Ara Nelson, the vegan/vegetarian eatery was a welcome break from the pressures of the restaurant she worked at three years ago, before she left to join Food For Thought. The food’s better, and the people are, too, Nelson says. “I love working here; it’s the best job I could have,” she says.