Tag: 6935 NE Glisan

Business Relocating, Food and Drink, New Business

Stoopid Burger Returns to NE Glisan

On April 21st, the renowned and storied Stoopid Burger opened a new location inside the Rocket Empire Machine food hall at 6935 NE Glisan Street. This new location is Portland’s second brick-and-mortar space for the Oregon chain, which also operates a Lloyd Center restaurant and a St. Helens food truck location. This new location is just 2.5 miles from its original restaurant, which closed during the pandemic. They are known for massive towering burger creations and have received local and national recognition.

A colorful banner for 'Stupid Burger' featuring a cartoon burger with eyes and the text 'COMING SOON' above it, set behind a metal grate.
Stoopid Burger “cooming Soon” sign from early April

Stoopid Burger opened as a food cart at the corner of N Fremont Street and N Vancouver Avenue in 2014, and expanded into a storefront at 2329 NE Glisan Street in 2017. That year, Willamette Week named the signature Stoopid Burger Portland’s best classic burger. The venture closed in 2020, with the Willamette Week reporting that Co-owners John Hunt and Danny Moore parted ways. Moore revived the brand in 2021, transitioning into two food trucks. In 2025, Stoopid Burger took over the 1950s-style diner space at Lloyd Center mall. The St Helens, Oregon, food truck location is the organization’s only remaining mobile kitchen.

Interior of a burger restaurant featuring an 'OPEN' neon sign and a digital menu board displaying various burger options, sides, and drinks. A cook is seen preparing food in the kitchen area.

Moore explained that with the impending closure and demolition of the Lloyd Center this August. The NE Glisan location will become the only brick-and-mortar storefront for his company. He said he is excited to move back to NE Glisan and enjoys the Montavilla neighborhood. He thinks people will appreciate the $5 “Super Boring” burger on the menu, noting that people are experiencing hard times, and it is important to hit that price point. He also wanted people to know about their fried fish, remarking, “People are calling our fish some of the best in Portland.” All locations serve the same menu, so fans of the Lloyd Center restaurant can start visiting the NE Glisan location to get their Stoopid Burger fix.

A large banner displaying the name 'Stoopid Burger' with a cartoon burger graphic and contact number 971.668.7237.

The Montavilla Stoopid Burger location is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. It replaced Alleamin African Kitchen in the Rocket Empire Machine food hall. Moore said the new space will offer the same “bold flavors” his company is known for in a good location. The burger restaurant lets people order at a kiosk, freeing the cook to prepare the food. In the future, when the service is activated, customers can call 971-668-7237 to place an order. Until then, people can stop in and reintroduce themselves to this returning business or discover it for the first time.

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Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.

Food and Drink, New Business

Sleepover Pizza Replaces Pie Spot

In early February, Sleepover Pizza will open in the former Pie Spot storefront outside the Rocket Empire Machine food hall at 6935 NE Glisan Street. The new school pan pizza maker takes inspiration from Detroit and Sicilian styles, offering eight-by-ten-inch rectangular pies with classic flavors that aim to excite families and pizza lovers alike. The shop will expand into more adventurous menu offerings for its pizza Sunday brunch program.

Aaron Manter has called Montavilla his home for nearly a decade after relocating with his wife from Greenville, South Carolina, where they both ran a New American-style restaurant called The Owl. After closing that business, they eventually followed friends to Portland. Together, the couple managed the now-closed Fillmore coffee shop that Futura Coffee Roasters replaced in 2022. Aaron Manter went on to receive accolades for his following two positions: cooking at the 1905 Jazz Club and as executive chef for Scholar Restaurant on NE Broadway. Recently, Manter worked as a chef at Fressen Bakery down the street from this new location. Despite 25 years working in kitchens creating complex menus across various disciplines, pizza was where he started his culinary career, and it continually reemerged as a favorite dish. After experimenting with some popups hosted by Blank Slate Bar in June 2024, Aaron Manter was ready to become a restaurant owner again—however, this time in a smaller space with affordable rent and a more universally approachable menu.

Sleepover Pizza’s name and primary menu originate from Manter’s nostalgia for his time with friends growing up in South Florida. Some of his best memories stem from having people over while his parents were out, ordering a pan pizza, and staying up late watching a VHS tape of Predator. During that stage in life, he started cooking for Little Caesars at a time when the pizza chain made everything in the shop. Those foundational experiences linked cooking, friendship, and youth with pizza. Through this project, he wants to share that experience and those flavors with his community. “It’s really meant for people to grab a slice with the family and, like the name implies, bring it back home to eat while you watch a scary movie and hang out with kids,” said Manter.

When open, Sleepover Pizza will serve guests from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday from the standard menu, offering a classic cheese, pepperoni, or tomato pie with garlic and pecorino Romano. Manter plans to provide a rotating white sauce pie option, rounding out the main selection to four pizzas. All pies pull from the Detroit style, where the sauce is on top, and the cheese covers from edge to edge, giving it a pronounced caramelization where it meets the pan. To speed up the cooking process, he will pan-proof the crust to about an inch thick and then briefly bake it to set the dough ahead of a customer’s order. “I can’t ask people at a food pod to wait 20 minutes for a pizza. I just don’t feel like that’s realistic or right. Parbaking (partially cooking a bread product before fully baking it at a later time) lets us get that out in maybe ten minutes, and I didn’t find any decrease in quality,” said Manter.

Image by Audrey Willcox, courtesy Sleepover Pizza

People can order a whole pie or a half as the by-the-slice option, and they will have an assortment of sodas. “I plan on doing a slice and a drink for 10 bucks. I’ll offer Coke, Diet Coke, and some sort of root beer. I think root beer and pepperoni are a very underrated combo,” explained Manter. He also intends to expand his drink offerings to meet his customer’s tastes. However, with Gigantic Brewing’s Robot Room adjacent to his space, he will keep to non-alcoholic options. Sleepover Pizza will be on some food delivery apps, and its sidewalk-adjacent location will make quick pickups easy for to-go orders.

Pie Spot location closing sign directing people to visit them at 521 NE 24th Ave

Sleepover Pizza will also open on Sundays but targeting the brunch crowd, with hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu will feature unique flavors inspired by traditionally un-pizza origins. Aaron Manter envisions a shakshuka pie made with Moroccan tomato sauce and a fried egg on top. Or, a lox bagel approach with cream cheese, smoked salmon, chives, capers, and pickled onions.

The small kitchen space that will become Sleepover Pizza

The small kitchen space, not much larger than a shipping container, is nearly ready to reopen. Manter is only waiting on Multnomah County to approve the commercial kitchen. He explained that he has worked at eight different pizzerias over the years, learning all the best techniques to bring to his creations without losing the core qualities that make pizza great. “I’ve learned everything I can from every place I’ve worked, and I’m just trying to do a good job without being too cheffy, as it’s meant to feed the people and the families of the neighborhood.” Future customers waiting to try Montavilla’s newest pizza location should watch the Sleepover Pizza Instagram account to learn about the official opening date or visit the company website when it launches at sleepoverpizza.com.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Updated January 22nd, 2025: Add Pie Spot closing note image.

Food and Drink, Property Sale

Who Wants to Buy the Rocket

The Rocket Empire Machine’s owners are seeking a buyer for the fully leased food hall building at 6935 NE Glisan Street. Commercial Black Real Estate recently listed the property for $2 million, offering a turnkey investment for the right operator. After extensive renovations by Guerrilla Development in 2020, the former 1950-era automotive repair building began hosting five food and beverage-related businesses. Since its opening, tenants have remained stable, with only one recent turnover caused by the closing of The Pie Spot.

The property’s asking price does not include the corner parking lot parcel at 6977 NE Glisan Street. The developer split the 2,363-square-foot property from the REM project during construction planning. Kevin Cavenaugh’s Guerrilla Development company intended to create a two-story, 11-unit, single-room occupancy (SRO) building called Jolene’s Second Cousin on the vacant lot. The COVID pandemic halted that project, and the paved lot has served as surface parking for REM customers since the food hall opened. The REM building’s real estate flyer indicates the parking lot property is also available for purchase separately.

Rendering of REM building and canceled Jolene’s Second Cousin SRO, courtesy Guerrilla Development

The REM food hall is a significant anchor point for Montavilla’s portion of NE Glisan Street. It provides an accessible third-place within walking distance for many area residents living north of E Burnside Street and keeps the street active into the evenings. Its shared indoor seating and a covered outdoor courtyard often host social and community gatherings alongside a consistent customer base. Gigantic Brewing’s Robot Room offers micro-brewery drinks at the site, rounding out the casual dining experience and cultivating an environment welcoming an extended stay on the property.

PortlandMaps view showing 6935 next to 6977 NE Glisan St, both for sale

Portland’s commercial real estate market has struggled to rebound fully post-pandemic, and Kevin Cavenaugh has subsequently experienced a few publicized setbacks in other developments. In a June 2024 City Cast Portland episode, he spoke candidly about his dire economic circumstances and how he remains optimistic about Portland’s development culture despite his own troubles. Cavenaugh explained that most of his projects would remain viable investments, but he knew he would not retain ownership of them when the dust settled.

Interested buyers should contact John Gibson by phone at 503-860-3267 or email john.gibson@commercialblack.com. The future owner of this property will gain a low-maintenance multi-tenant space with relatively new commercial kitchens and a built-in customer base. Any sale will likely have little immediate impact on Rocket Empire Machine or its tenants, but the future of the adjacent undeveloped lot is far less certain.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Community

Art on Glisan

Murals are sprouting up along NE Glisan, expanding the character transformation of the street. Shopfronts on Glisan between NE 68th Ave and 82nd Ave have enhanced their appearance over the last few years. The addition of public art on these buildings further drives the artistic reinvention of the street.

Some site developments are incorporating art into the project at the design phase. The new gas station and convenience store on the corner of Glisan and 82nd Ave will feature a tile-mosaic mural when constructed. Other businesses are adding their public art at varying times after opening.

The Pie Spot Mural 6935 NE Glisan

The Pie Spot is the only shopfront in the new Rocket Empire Machine food hall that fronts on NE Glisan. They have added a mural depicting a pink flamingo sitting atop one of their pies.

Green Front Dispensary Mural 6834 NE Glisan

Green Front Dispensary recently completed a mural on the NE 69th side of their building. The work is a creation of Voxx Romana. Its rich reds and shimmering gold color are easily spotted while traveling NE Glisan.

Although these are just a small number of artistic expressions coloring NE Glisan, it is not hard to imagine other businesses on the street adding murals to their locations. These building embellishments not only attract the eye, but it also sets a positive tone for the people who live and shop along this street. 

Construction, New Residence

SRO Housing Delayed when Needed Most

A development in Montavilla, could add 11 new Single Room Occupancy units to NE Glisan. This would be Guerrilla Development’s second project in the area. They are wrapping up construction on their first building named Rocket Empire Machine. The new two story building is called Jolene’s Second Cousin and is adjacent to Rocket Empire Machine, at 6935 NE Glisan Street. The property, that both projects currently share, will be split before construction begins.

Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect

Building permits for Jolene’s Second Cousin have already been approved. Guerrilla Development has lined up the same contractors that worked on Rocket Empire Machine, to start work on this new building. However, “the project is on hold due to uncertainty around Covid-19.” Said Anna Mackay, Director of Development at Guerrilla Development. The delay could be short, with construction starting in Summer or Fall. Unfortunately, the delay could be longer and no timetable has been decided.

  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect
  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect
  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect

Portland once had a healthy inventory of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) apartments. They served reduced income residents and kept many people in housing, that otherwise would have lived on the streets. Over the last fifty years, that inventory of affordable rental options has been in decline.

Single Room Occupancy housing is structured similarly to a dormitory. Each resident has a furnished one room apartments. Tenants share a common kitchen, shower, and toilet. Some variation on SRO layouts could have a toilet, sink, or mini-fridge in the room.

This type of affordable housing may soon be in high demand, due to the fallout from our statewide shutdown. Six months after the Eviction Moratorium order ends, people are expected to pay their back rent. That could start a wave of evictions for those that do not have savings to cover the unpaid rent.

Before our current economic troubles, Portland had identified SRO housing as a way to keep people housed as rental rates climb. However the number of SRO apartments in Portland has not yet satisfied the pre-pandemic housing needs. Six months from now we may have less SRO options, not more. The Westwind Apartments project, downtown, is a seven story building offering 72 SRO units and 28 studio apartments. All units will support low income residents or people transitioning off the streets. It is replacing a three story building that currently offers affordable housing. When completed, this project should help many Potlanders gain access to housing. However, when the building is demolished to make way for its replacement, there will be even less affordable units to rent in Portland.

There is a an established need for projects like Jolene’s Second Cousin, and we need them built in the next six months, to meet the predicted demand. We also need more of them, spread throughout the city. Jolene’s Second Cousin picked an ideal scale for the project, insuring it fits in the neighborhood without dominating the area. Large towers like the Westwind Apartments do not always work out well for the residents. Historically, housing many low income people together has not been successful for other cities. Low income housing, mixed within the community, has worked well in the past and could do so again.

Montavilla once had SRO housing right in the center of town. In an interview of Dianne Dixon-Lawrence, she talks about the history of Dickson Drugs and the SRO units on the second floor. Dickson Drugs was located on the corner of 80th and SE Stark. The same space that once housed the Country Cat and will soon be the home of Lazy Susan restaurant. In the interview, she tells the story of the 1961 remodel that ultimately removed the SRO units. Those SRO units had occupied all of the second floor above Dickson Drugs. She said that in the 1960’s, the city had begun to require parking for each apartment. That change made it difficult to creat low cost housing in many places, and impossible for the space above Dickson Drugs. Dixon-Lawrence went on to say that the city later reversed that decision but by then, it no longer was cost effective to add the SRO units back.

It would be helpful to Portland, and Montavilla, if Jolene’s Second Cousin can start construction soon. The housing will be desperately needed and perhaps that can help alleviate some of the uncertainty around building it. However, 11 SRO units are not enough. We will need more, and a community that will be accepting of SRO housing near them. Any hesitation for allowing low income housing in the area, needs to be balance by the notion that people are not going away. A person can live in an SRO next to our house or on the street in front of our house, but they are going to be our neighbor, one way or another. Let’s encourage attainable housing for all of our neighbors.

Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Rocket Ready for Launch

Rocket Empire Machine is moving ahead with its planned opening at 6935 NE Glisan Street. Four of the five available restaurant spaces are rented, and the fifth space has two prospective tenants looking at it. Exterior construction is near completion, with only the outdoor seating area reamining. Next week, they will turn over the spaces to the tenants and they can start their individual buildouts.

The scheduled opening of this project was uncertain. The effect of Oregon’s stay at home order has slowed down or canceled many retail developments across Portland. However, Rocket Empire Machine looks to have stayed on track. It achieved this by making a few key compromises with the tenants. As well as having an advantage due to the type of affordable retail spaces they offer. Restaurants within Rocket Empire Machine are “designed for takeout and delivery” said Anna Mackay, Director of Development at Guerrilla Development.

Mackay went on to explain that the design of the building should lend itself exceptionally well to post pandemic dining, even before the restrictions are lifted. The building is designed with separate kitchens that share common seating. Although the shared amenities are will remain available, takeout customers will likely be the most common patrons in the near future.

Image courtesy Guerrilla Development

Advantageous design alone was not enough to open this project. Three weeks ago Mackay met with the signed tenants to reaffirm their commitment to opening and seek ways to assist them. At that meeting, they agreed on lower rental rates and adopt a moratorium on collecting full rent, until Oregon’s restaurant restrictions have been lifted. Mackay said that the business owners knew the neighborhood was looking forward to their opening, and that influenced the commitment to continue with their plans.

Van Havig and Ben Love, of Gigantic Brewing Company, had already announced the opening of their Gigantic Satellite taproom at this location. In addition, Jessica Woods will be opening a second location of her Pie Spot bakery and cafe. Tierra Del Sol, by Amalia Sierra, is opening up this location to compliment their existing catering business. Khadro Abdi’s Alle Amin is relocating, from further up Glisan.

Alle Amin relocation, highlights the unique element of Rocket Empire Machine’s model. One space in the building is reserved for a recipient of a “non-displacement” benefit. The goal of this benefit is to ensure that local businesses are not forced out, as our area continues to improve. Recipient businesses will receive fixed rental rates that will allow for the business to grow. Khadro Abdi faced rent increases that jeopardized the viability of the restaurant. Relocating here, will ensure Alle Amin can continue to server the neighborhood, even as other rents increase.

With the Common spaces at Rocket Empire Machine nearing completion and tenants starting work on their space, expect to see increased activity at the site. If the tenants have smooth buildouts “we could see soft opening as soon as June.” Mackay said. That will still allow for many good weather days to drop in and pick up something from our new eatery options.

Construction, Food and Drink, New Business, New Residence

REM on Glisan

– UPDATED – A different type of retail space is taking form at 6935 NE Glisan Street. Called Rocket Empire Machine (REM), it aims to make affordable retail space available on NE Glisan, as more shopfronts convert to higher rental rates. Next Portland has reported that the renovation of this existing 1949 building will include (4) micro-restaurants and (1) bar with shared indoor and outdoor seating. The space is set to open in early 2020 but it is unknown if they have signed leases with any prospective tenants. -UPDATE- A reader sent in a link noting that Gigantic Brewing Company has committed to being one of the new tenants for REM.

UPDATE: Oregon Liquor Control Commission recorded a Liquor Licence on 02/25/2020 for Gigantic Brewing Company LLC at this address.

Photo by Guerrilla Development

As part of this project, a new 2 story apartment with 11 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) sleeping units will be built on the lot. It will occupy the former parking lot for the original building and be massed on NE 70th Ave. The NE Glisan facing portion of the building will contain one additional retail space. Portland has lost many of its SRO residences over its growth years and this will be an informative experiment of how well this addresses people on the edge of homelessness.

The REM project will do a great deal to improve the walkable commerce expansion that is cleaning up NE Glisan. Not only is it remaking a derelict property, the rent subsidy and affordable housing should encourage occupancy. The more people who live near, work on, and walk NE Glisan the faster that stretch of Montavilla will grow.