At the beginning of summer, in front of the popular Mak’s Mini Mart on Broadway Street, two banners went up advertising a new pod of food carts to take root next to the store. One was emblazoned with “New Food Carts Coming Soon” in bold text, the other provided further details on the development.
This location—well within walking distance of two major residence halls and in an area with heavy student foot traffic—follows in the footsteps of the other food cart pods dotted around campus and the city at large.
This new pod is advertised as “University Station Food Carts.” Portland State Vanguard spoke with Maher Makboul, who owns the pod development as well as the adjoining Mak’s Mini Mart.
“We will have about 14–15 different carts serving cuisines from all over the world, Thai, Indian, Greek, American, Mexican, etc.,” Makboul said, when asked about the food on offer. “Our cart operators are very savvy and knowledgeable and have many options for students and staff, with affordable prices and generous portions.”
The location—close in proximity to not just another food cart pod behind Ondine but also to other cheap and established restaurants such as Chipotle—seems to face competition. When asked what set his development apart from the other food cart pods in the area, however, Makboul promised cleanliness and emphasized the adjacent Mini Mart as well as future planned additions.
“We will pride ourselves on having the area clean, organized and secure,” Makboul said. “We are working on a covered and heated indoor space as well with a beer garden. [The] full Mini Mart next door […] will stay open late till midnight as long as we have operators willing to stay open.”
Many students around campus, especially those who live or have lived at Broadway, are excited for this new dining opportunity.
“I do think it’s a good idea, especially for Broadway residents who don’t want to walk down to the 4th Ave food carts or want to save money by not ordering DoorDash,” said Chrissy Tarver, who lived in the Broadway dorms in 2023.
“It’s closer to the Ondine and Broadway residential halls than other food cart pods, and so it has ease of access going for it,” said PSU Student Cassandra Marshall. “I think most of its customer base will be people living in Ondine, Broadway and University Pointe, and that out of those living in the residential halls, students without meal plans will be more likely to eat from there.”
“I think this development has a lot of positive potential for the Broadway area, especially if prices are good and if seating is provided,” said Ryan Sciorilli, another former Broadway resident. “I could see this being a good student hangout spot on the weekends and earlier in the weekdays.”
The location had a soft opening on Sept. 23, 2023 with a grand opening planned for the near future.
“Everyone is invited,” said Makboul. “Future events will include bands, DJs [and] events to support the community such as food drives, toy drive, PSU Athletics.”
A website for the food cart pod is available here.