Bridges Cafe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bridges Cafe & Catering |
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The restaurant's exterior in February 2021, after closing in 2020
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1994 |
| Closed | November 15, 2020 |
| Current owner(s) | Tom and Laura Lane-Ruckman |
| Previous owner(s) | Bridget Bayer |
| Food type | |
| Street address | 2716 Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard |
| City | Portland |
| County | Multnomah |
| State | Oregon |
| Postal/ZIP code | 97212 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°32′32″N 122°39′41″W / 45.5422°N 122.6613°W |
| Seating capacity | 30–60 |
Bridges Cafe & Catering was a popular restaurant and catering service in Portland, Oregon. It first opened its doors in 1994. Later, a couple named Tom and Laura Lane-Ruckman bought the cafe. They kept the business going until November 2020. At that time, the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to stay open.
The restaurant served delicious Southern and Tex-Mex food. More than half of its money came from catering for events. People in the neighborhood loved Bridges Cafe. Inside, it had a small dining room with cool mosaic tables. The walls were decorated with art showing bridges, made by different artists. The cafe was especially known for its grits, a friendly server named "Phreddie" who worked there for a long time, and for helping out local community groups.
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What Was Bridges Cafe Like?
Bridges Cafe was located in northeast Portland, at the corner of Knott Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The dining area was cozy and had unique tables covered in colorful mosaic tiles. Pictures of bridges, created by local artist Mike Beard and others, hung on the walls. Artists would even ask to have their bridge artworks displayed there.
In 1999, Natasha Nowakowski from the Portland Business Journal said the cafe was "artistically decorated" with "colorful walls and funky dining tables." She noted it was a place "where regulars come to congregate." It was a popular spot for both new and old residents in the area. People really supported the cafe. Later, in 2021, Brooke Jackson-Glidden of Eater Portland called it a "casual and quaint haunt" and a "neighborhood favorite."
What Kind of Food Did They Serve?
The menu at Bridges Cafe featured tasty Southern and Tex-Mex dishes. For breakfast, you could find items like breakfast burritos, catfish hash, Eggs Benedict, grits, gumbo, omelets, and scrambles. Their corned beef hash came with hollandaise sauce and sweet caramelized onions and peppers, served with potato wedges. They also had spinach and cheese biscuits, and chicken with sun-dried tomato pesto.
For lunch, there were salads and sandwiches. Some dishes even had fun names from popular culture. For example, the Arturo Bandini was a special version of Eggs Benedict. It had poached eggs, prosciutto, spinach, and a hollandaise sauce with basil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. This was all served on Tuscan white bean cakes. The Belgian waffle was served with organic maple syrup, and you could add strawberry compote. In 2012, Jake Ten Pas from The Oregonian described the menu as "down-South-meets-Northwest breakfast fixings."
Bridges Cafe was open from 7 AM to 2 PM on weekdays. On weekends, it was open from 8 AM to 3 PM.
The Story of Bridges Cafe
Bridget Bayer was the person who first opened Bridges Cafe in 1994. She owned the business for at least five years. When she first rented the building, it didn't even have electricity or plumbing! She traded services with electricians and plumbers to get the building ready. Bridget also helped start community events like the Dog Days of Summer. She co-founded a local business group to encourage activity on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
John Balzar of the Los Angeles Times called Bridget Bayer a "beer chef" because she was known for cooking with beer. She hosted special dinners each month where she used beer in sauces and main dishes like baked paella and chili con carne. In 1999, Natasha Nowakowski said the cafe had "become a nerve center of economic development" for the area. Bridges Cafe was one of only two restaurants on a two-mile stretch of MLK Jr. Blvd. at the time. It served about 200 customers every weekend. Bridget Bayer said sales grew by 10 percent each year. However, the cafe was "only marginally profitable" because it had limited seating. The inside could only fit 30 people, but outdoor seating could double that when the weather was nice.
To earn more money, Bridget started selling three kinds of dips, including roasted-vegetable caponata. In 1999, she decided to sell the restaurant. She wanted to start a business selling her dips wholesale. Tom and Laura Lane-Ruckman then bought Bridges Cafe. Laura became the general manager. According to Jake Ten Pas, their first goal was to "throw out the cans and start making everything from scratch." A big part of the restaurant's income came from its catering service. Abe Asher from the Portland Mercury said the Lane-Ruckmans made Bridges "a favorite" even as the neighborhood changed.
A server named "Phreddie" worked at Bridges for fifteen years. Many people thought she was the cafe's "most recognizable figure." The business also supported local groups. This included organizations that help young people and others in need, as well as local unions. Bridges Cafe also hosted successful pop-up events.
Closing Down During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bridges Cafe had to let go of most of its employees. Only three staff members remained. The cafe continued to operate by offering takeout food. In June, when restaurants were allowed to open again, the owners expanded the dining room. This allowed for socially distanced indoor dining.
However, the business struggled to pay its rent. The difficult economic situation caused by the pandemic forced Bridges Cafe to close for good. Its last day was Sunday, November 15, 2020. The owners announced the closure, saying, "Thank you to all of you who graced us with your business over the years... Good luck and stay safe." On the final day, the owners and staff shared memories over champagne.
