'Beloved' Portland food cart shutting down after 30 years

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After three decades serving burritos and bowls in Portland, beloved food cart Fuego announced plans to shut down at the end of the year.

“Farewell Portland. It’s with heavy heart that we announce the closing of Fuego Food Carts,” Fuego said in an Aug. 21 Instagram post.

“For 30 years, we’ve been serving stunning flavors and hearty meals, becoming a beloved part of Portland’s food cart culture. From our peak of 10 sizzling food carts across the city to our current 6 bustling locations and travelling food truck, we’ve loved every minute of serving you lunch, especially in downtown Portland. However, hard times following the pandemic have made it impossible for us to keep the fire burning," the post continued.

Fuego Co-owner Bob Workmeister told KOIN 6 News that making the decision to close after 30 years was "very difficult," especially considering some of their employees have been with them for 20-plus years.

“After the pandemic, it never really got back to where it was,” Workmeister said. “It’s just so unfortunate. We tried to weather the storm, and it just got to be where food prices have skyrocketed, insurance skyrocketed, everything. It made it very difficult for us. It was big challenge.”

Workmeister was inspired to start the business in the Rose City after travelling through Asia and seeing other food carts around the world.

His first food carts served pasta before transitioning into fajita carts then landing on burritos and opening Fuego around 1996. Fuego's first location was near Pioneer Courthouse Square on 6th and Yamhill.

Reflecting on the last 30 years, Workmeister said it’s been a joy and an honor to serve Portland.

The food truck owner said he's gathered “so many” memories with Fuego, from moments he’d “like to forget” when carts fell off the truck, to more joyful times like forming a camaraderie with his employees.

Even though Fuego is among the small businesses that have closed down post-pandemic, Workmeister is optimistic for the future of local business in Portland.

“I'm really excited to see the resurgence, to get back to where we were pre-pandemic,” Workmeister said. “It's hard to see the downtown where it's been. It's getting better, but it's just not quite there.”

He added, “There's so many good people here, and that's why I'm really excited to see Portland come back to its heyday, and even better than its heyday.”