Downtown workers are here for Portland.
A program to support recovering downtown restaurant and retail businesses. (With other business districts soon to come!)
Downtown restaurant and retail businesses have been suffering revenue losses and going out of business in record numbers since the onset of the pandemic when many office workers left downtown and shifted to telework. Now many are returning downtown for in-person work.
We’re calling on downtown workers to shop and dine intentionally to support the recovery of downtown’s small and local restaurant and retail businesses. As part of this effort, we’re issuing five thousand $50 gift app credits, through Kuto App*, that can be spent at 100 downtown restaurant and retail businesses participating in Downtown Workers Are Here for Portland.
Who can receive $50 in Kuto App credits?
Any person who works downtown one or more days a week is eligible to receive a Kuto App credit. Credits are distributed in the app at events, so simply setup the app and click the event button at the top of the screen for instructions and dates of the next event to claim your credit. Note: you will be asked to attest you work downtown when claiming your credit; limit 1 per household.
Where can Downtown Workers Are Here for Portland Kuto App credits be spent?
Credits disbursed through this program can be spent at 100 small and local restaurant and retail businesses across downtown. They can be used for making purchases as well as for tipping frontline workers. Small restaurant and retail businesses have been hit the hardest over the past two years so that’s where we’re encouraging intentional shopping and dining among downtown workers. We’re also prioritizing outreach and inclusion to address the disproportionate impacts to BIPOC owned businesses, low-income entrepreneurs, food carts, and businesses impacted by break-ins and vandalism.
Here are the businesses we’ve enrolled in Downtown Workers Are Here for Portland thus far:
#1 Bento, 770 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Kafka House, SW Burnside, SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Korean Twist, Hawthorne Asylum
DanWei Canting, 803 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Azar Indulgences, 712 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
Pita Pit, 1811 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Cargo, 81 SE Yamhill St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Champions, 1430 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Phat Cart, 420 SW College St, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Moods of Florence, 1132 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
The Cart Blocks, 770 W. Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209
Butterfly Belly, 323 NW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Laundry, 140 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Orox Leather, 450 NW Couch St, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Amity, 962 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
Cafe Yumm, 1806 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
Hawaiian Express, 1930 SW 4th Ave #110, Portland, OR 97201, USA
The Pleasant Peasant, Hawthorne Asylum
Clever Cycles, 900 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214, USA
The Fossil Cartel, 333 SW Taylor St #150, Portland, OR 97204, USA
Farina Bakery, 1852 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Bao Bao, 545 NE Couch St, Portland, OR 97232, USA
Fiber Rhythm Craft and Design, 2505 SE 11th Ave #312, Portland, OR 97202, USA
The Herbivore Clothing Company, 1211 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Woonwinkel, 935 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
Cosmic Crepes, Hawthorne Asylum
Ice Queen, 1223 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Good Dog PDX, 1411 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
US Outdoor Store, 600 NW 14th Ave Suite 100, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Indigo House, 222 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Nourishment
Sizzle Pie - Downtown, 926 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
Sizzle Pie - Eastside, 624 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Pelmeni Pelmni, Hawthorne Asylum
Tall Boy Fish and Chips, Hawthorne Asylum
Green Zebra, 1704 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Everybody Eats, 138 NW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Honey Latte, 1033 SE Main St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Heros American Cafe, 1440 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Tender Loving Empire, 525 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210, USA
Sesame Donuts, 1503 SW Park Ave suite B, Portland, OR 97201, USA
How do I get $50 in Kuto App credits?
We’ll be issuing Kuto App credits at tabling events on the following occasions, listed below. Check back as we’ll be adding more regularly. These are all public spaces, office buildings with lobbies open to the public, or retail spaces open to the public.
Public Events:
Monday, May 2nd, at The Cart Blocks, W Burnside and SW Park, from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Wednesday, May 4th, at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wednesday May 11th, at Columbia Square lobby, 111 SW Columbia, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wednesday, May 18th, at PSU Propel Hall of Innovation, Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center, 1600 SW 4th Ave., 11:00 – 2:00
Thursday, May 19th, at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave, from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Monday, May 23rd, at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave, from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tuesday, May 24th, at World Trade Center Lobby, 25 SW Salmon, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wednesday, May 25th, The Goat Blocks, 975 SE 11th Ave, from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
We will also go to the locations of downtown employers with 100 or more downtown employees to issue gift app credits to employees and thank them for being a part of downtown’s recovery and comeback. Employers interested in having us come to their locations during the month of May should email us at smallbizstories@worksystems.org.
Employer Events:
City of Portland – Thursday, May 12th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Special event for employees who work in the Portland Building to be held in the Portland Building lobby.
Central City Concern - Friday, May 20th. Special event for employees of Central City Concern who work downtown. Contact your manager for the time and location.
"When the pandemic hit and so many workers left downtown, it put a lot of small restaurant and retailers out of business and many of the rest are struggling to survive. We’ve dealt with two years of workers staying home instead of coming to downtown offices and workplaces, and problems with trash and crime in the absence of regular downtown workers and commerce. We’re happy to see downtown workers starting to return in large numbers and for the City’s Downtown Workers Are Here for Portland campaign to mobilize downtown workers in support of small retail and restaurant businesses.”
- Danwei Canting
These businesses are the lifeblood of Portland’s appeal and have faced two years of revenue and customer losses while cooperating with the social distancing restrictions that have been protecting our community. It’s time for Portland to help them back!
If you discover an amazing business through Downtown Workers Are Here for Portland that you want to boost and share about, please send a photo and tell us about is at smallbizstories@worksystems.org. We’ll enter you in a weekly raffle to receive another $50 Kuto App credit for sharing your story.
Downtown Workers are Here for Portland is funded by the City of Portland and Worksystems and is a collaboration of the Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland Action Tables, Prosper Portland, Business for a Better Portland, Portland State University, Central Eastside Industrial Council, Bricks Need Mortar, Kuto App and Worksystems.
*Kuto App is a BIPOC-owned, Portland-based payments solution created to keep money within the community by reducing fees and facilitating safe, simple payments. As a community centered payments solution, Kuto partners with communities to address food insecurity, incentivize giving, and promote local spending.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
hello@hereforportland.com
©HEREFORPORTLAND 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
