Posted on Oct 23, 2022
Old-fashioned diners offer comfort and familiarity, but they could be a dying breed in Portland
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The Prescott Cafe in Northeast Portland has long been what most people would call an old-fashioned American diner: it features large, vinyl-upholstered booths, a handwritten sign announcing the day’s pie special, and endless pots of coffee.
That’s exactly how owner Rose Funk envisioned it when she bought the restaurant 15 years ago, after having worked there 10 years earlier as a waiter.
“I didn’t want to make a lot of changes in it,” Funk recalled. “I was happy with the way it was.”
That sense of the familiar is what helped Funk grow a dedicated base of regulars.
“It’s kind of like ‘Cheers;’ you come in and you know everybody,’” said Pat Southard, who would meet up with friends and family at the Prescott Cafe several times a week.
But at 69 years old, Funk recently decided it was time to move on. She announced her retirement in September and closed the cafe’s doors for good on Sept. 30.
It was heartbreaking news for regulars like Southard. She recalled a time when her air conditioner broke, so Funk showed up at her door with a box fan.
“She’s always thinking of what she could do to help people,” Southard said.
But Funk’s bond with the neighborhood won’t end with the restaurant’s closing.
That’s exactly how owner Rose Funk envisioned it when she bought the restaurant 15 years ago, after having worked there 10 years earlier as a waiter.
“I didn’t want to make a lot of changes in it,” Funk recalled. “I was happy with the way it was.”
That sense of the familiar is what helped Funk grow a dedicated base of regulars.
“It’s kind of like ‘Cheers;’ you come in and you know everybody,’” said Pat Southard, who would meet up with friends and family at the Prescott Cafe several times a week.
But at 69 years old, Funk recently decided it was time to move on. She announced her retirement in September and closed the cafe’s doors for good on Sept. 30.
It was heartbreaking news for regulars like Southard. She recalled a time when her air conditioner broke, so Funk showed up at her door with a box fan.
“She’s always thinking of what she could do to help people,” Southard said.
But Funk’s bond with the neighborhood won’t end with the restaurant’s closing.
Old-fashioned diners offer comfort and familiarity, but they could be a dying breed in Portland
Posted from opb.org
Food/Chow
Restaurants
Portland
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"In the next five years, diners are as much of something that could come back in vogue as any other older restaurant model,” Huffman said.
Even the building housing the Prescott Cafe on the corner of Northeast Prescott Street and 62nd Avenue has gone through its own transformations since the 1940s: It’s been a steak-and-seafood restaurant, then a Chinese restaurant, then a homestyle diner.
There’s a chance could undergo another change. Owner Rose Funk says shortly after she closed the cafe’s doors for good, someone made a cash offer, seemingly with the intention of keeping it as a restaurant.
“But at least it sounds like it’s not going to get torn down and be an apartment building, so that’s all good for the neighborhood,” Funk said.
As for her near future, Funk says she looks forward to spending her retirement traveling around the country with her husband."
"In the next five years, diners are as much of something that could come back in vogue as any other older restaurant model,” Huffman said.
Even the building housing the Prescott Cafe on the corner of Northeast Prescott Street and 62nd Avenue has gone through its own transformations since the 1940s: It’s been a steak-and-seafood restaurant, then a Chinese restaurant, then a homestyle diner.
There’s a chance could undergo another change. Owner Rose Funk says shortly after she closed the cafe’s doors for good, someone made a cash offer, seemingly with the intention of keeping it as a restaurant.
“But at least it sounds like it’s not going to get torn down and be an apartment building, so that’s all good for the neighborhood,” Funk said.
As for her near future, Funk says she looks forward to spending her retirement traveling around the country with her husband."
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