a bike-friendly cafe!
North Portlanders are eagerly awaiting the opening of the Little Red Bike Cafe at 4823 N. Lombard Street.
I came across the upcoming eatery via the blog of cafe owners Ali and Evan Jepson-Dohrmann. They wrote about Joel Domreis of Courier Coffee and my handy Google News alert sent the post to my inbox.
The cafe’s name, bikey logo, and their partnership with bike-delivered Courier Coffee (you might recall my story on Joel back in April) piqued my interest, so I asked co-owner Evan a few questions about their plans.
What’s with the name?
(Photo courtesy Ali and Evan)
“There are many reasons why we chose it: Yes, we do bike, and while we do also drive sometimes, we feel that bicycling is unquestionably a superior means of transport for so many different reasons, and we hope to encourage others to bike more often through our cafe.
To us, the words “little red bike” conjure up images of a bike you might have had when you were a kid, or perhaps a beautiful Schwinn cruiser you always wanted but couldn’t afford until you were an adult. Essentially our menu is based on mid 20th century American cuisine, but utilizing high quality and local ingredients. Some of the items on our menu might even be described as kid’s food for grownups.”
How did your partnership with Joel Domreis and Courier Coffee come about?
“Your article about Joel was one of the first articles I read about Courier Coffee, and I should say thanks because we didn’t really know that much about him prior to this year…
We want our customers to know that the coffee they drink was delivered by bicycle all the way from southeast (Portland). We hope that simply knowing this might help some people get past the intimidation of riding in the city. Joel has even inspired us to have our morning pastries delivered by bike, at least on some days.”
Do you have any specific bike-friendly ideas planned for the cafe?
“We do hope to offer a regular discount for cyclists, though we are still unsure about whether it will be a discount on coffee and other beverages, or food items. We also hope to collaborate with various local bike shops and have coupons for free food which people might receive if they purchase a new or used bike, or get a tune-up. We have plenty of other ideas too, but those are most likely the two bike friendly concepts we hope to pursue upon opening.”
How has Portland’s bike-centric reputation influenced you?
“Ali and I are both Portland natives, and we are proud to live in such a bike friendly city. The public interest in cycling has certainly come a long way over the past few decades, but I think the fact that Potter nearly cut-off funding recently demonstrates that there is still a lot of room to grow in terms of promoting cycling within the public consciousness. We hope that through our cafe, we can continually promote biking by offering cash incentives for those who choose to ride to our cafe.”
Little Red Bike Cafe will feature fresh baked goods, locally roasted coffee and espresso, artisan sandwiches, homemade ice cream, and more.
Sounds like it will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and to the bike community. Good luck Evan and Ali!