Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain

Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain was a small restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States, that combined an old-fashioned lunch counter, an American diner, and a house-made soda fountain. Chef-owner Jeff Reiter established the business in 2006 in the historic Dekum Building at the intersection of Third Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Portland. It operated for approximately nine years before closing in 2016. The restaurant’s concept was built around familiar comfort food presented in a compact, carefully styled setting. Its menu included burger sliders, grilled cheese with tomato soup, macaroni and cheese, French toast, hot dogs, pulled-pork sandwiches, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, roasted chicken with mushrooms and buttered noodles, brisket pot roast, Caesar salad, and, after dinner service was introduced, dishes such as chicken pot pie and chicken-fried steak. The food was intentionally nostalgic rather than trend-driven, although the kitchen applied contemporary touches and used distinctive flavor combinations. Blueplate’s soda fountain was a central point of differentiation. The restaurant was described as one of Portland’s few establishments making sodas in-house. Its syrups used cane sugar and natural flavors, sometimes incorporating ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime, cardamom, ginger, anise, black pepper, hibiscus, saffron, honey, and pomegranate. Alongside classics such as chocolate Coke, the fountain offered original drinks including Chai Bomb, Hawaiian Sunset, Eastern Connection, P.R. Nelson, Painted Desert, and the absinthe-inspired Toulouse Lautrec. The beverage program extended to floats, egg creams, milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, and seasonal shakes. The physical environment reinforced the brand’s position. Rather than reproducing a large, heavily themed 1950s diner, Blueplate occupied a very small space with swivel stools, green counter seating, wood furnishings, wainscoting, decorative columns, a gold-toned archway, penny candy, and apothecary-style bottles and containers. Reviewers characterized the interior as an intersection of an old-time lunch counter, soda fountain, and apothecary. This atmosphere made the restaurant family-friendly while giving it a strong sense of place within the historic building. Blueplate received favorable attention from Portland food writers and national publications. Reviewers particularly praised the house-made sodas, grilled cheese and tomato soup, macaroni and cheese, and burger sliders. Guy Fieri featured the restaurant on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, bringing it broader exposure; he singled out the grilled cheese and tomato soup as among the best in the United States and also praised the sliders and macaroni and cheese. The restaurant was subsequently included in discussions of notable American soda fountains and retro dining destinations. The business also became known for its willingness to host political discussion. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Reiter displayed a sign supporting Barack Obama. After a customer left a critical note, he placed the message in the window as an invitation to debate, explaining that he wanted the restaurant to be a place where people could discuss politics. Blueplate eventually closed in 2016. Its legacy rests on the revival of the soda fountain as a culinary format and on its Portland interpretation of comfort food, nostalgic design, and inventive nonalcoholic drinks.

Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain was founded in 2006 by chef-owner Jeff Reiter in Portland’s Dekum Building. The location, at Third Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Portland, was small and historically situated, and the restaurant used its limited footprint as part of the concept rather than attempting to imitate a large roadside diner. Early descriptions emphasized a lunch-counter format with weekday lunch and early-dinner service. Supper service was added in 2007. The restaurant’s identity came from the combination of American comfort food, nostalgic surroundings, and an unusually ambitious soda program. Its food included grilled cheese and tomato soup, burger sliders, macaroni and cheese, French toast, hot dogs, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, pulled-pork sandwiches, pot roast, roasted chicken, and seasonal dinner specials. The menu was recognizably traditional, but some dishes incorporated contemporary or regional touches, including macaroni and cheese with bacon and mushrooms and sliders served with basil mayonnaise. The in-house fountain was particularly important to Blueplate’s reputation. It offered standard fountain traditions such as chocolate Coke, floats, egg creams, milkshakes, sundaes, and banana splits, while also developing original syrups and combinations. Ingredients included lemongrass, kaffir lime, cardamom, cloves, ginger, anise, black pepper, hibiscus, honey, pomegranate, and saffron. Drinks such as Chai Bomb, Hawaiian Sunset, Eastern Connection, P.R. Nelson, Painted Desert, and Toulouse Lautrec helped distinguish the restaurant from ordinary diners. Milkshakes used ice cream from Cascade Glacier, an Eugene-based producer, and included flavors such as strawberry, Frosted Orange, Arctic Chai, and chocolate-filbert, along with seasonal versions. The interior supported the brand’s historic-modern balance. It featured a row of green stools, six small tables, wood and earth-tone finishes, wainscoting, decorative columns, a gold-molded archway, penny candy, and apothecary-like bottles containing colorful liquids. Critics described the setting as an old-fashioned lunch counter, soda fountain, and apothecary brought together in a compact space. The design avoided exaggerated retro-diner decoration and instead relied on the food, beverages, and details of the room to create its nostalgic effect. Portland critics generally responded positively. The grilled cheese and tomato soup, house-made sodas, burger sliders, and macaroni and cheese were repeatedly highlighted, while some individual dishes, including meatloaf and mashed potatoes, received more qualified assessments. In 2009, the sliders were recognized as a notable Portland burger in a Portland Monthly overview. The restaurant’s fountain also attracted national attention. The New York Times later included Blueplate in coverage of the revival of soda fountains that used seasonal, house-made, and unconventional flavors. The Daily Meal listed it among notable retro soda fountains in the United States, and it appeared in the Moon Portland guidebook. Blueplate also received attention for its approach to public conversation. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Reiter displayed support for Barack Obama. When a customer objected in a written message, Reiter placed the note in the front window. He explained that the restaurant welcomed political discussion and that the incident was consistent with his view of the diner as a community gathering place. The business appeared on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri. The program increased the restaurant’s visibility beyond Portland, and Fieri’s comments about the grilled cheese and tomato soup gave that dish a signature association with the brand. Blueplate continued operating through the middle of the 2010s, but closed in 2016 after nine years. Later commentary treated the closure as a loss for Portland’s independent restaurant scene and for the city’s small collection of modernized soda fountains.

• 2016

  Restaurant closes

  [1]Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org

  Blueplate ends operations after approximately nine years.

• 2009

  Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

  [1]Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org

  Guy Fieri visits Blueplate for the Food Network series and praises several of its comfort-food dishes.

• 2008

  Political discussion becomes part of the restaurant’s public identity

  [1]Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org

  Reiter displays an Obama campaign sign and later posts a critical customer message in the window, describing Blueplate as a place where political discussion is welcome.

• 2007

  Supper service is added

  [1]Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant expands beyond lunch and early dinner by introducing evening supper service.

• 2006

  Blueplate is established

  [1]Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org

  Chef-owner Jeff Reiter opens Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain in the Dekum Building in downtown Portland.

A compact, nostalgic Portland diner and soda fountain that modernized classic American comfort food and revived house-made fountain beverages through unusual flavor combinations.

• Beverages · 2006

  House-made sodas

  Blueplate’s signature beverage line consisted of fountain sodas made with house-developed syrups. Alongside traditional drinks such as chocolate Coke, the restaurant offered original recipes combining fruit, spices, herbs, tea, and other unusual ingredients. Notable examples included Chai Bomb with cardamom, cloves, ginger, anise, and black pepper; Hawaiian Sunset with strawberry, pineapple, and coconut; and combinations featuring lemongrass, hibiscus, saffron, and pomegranate. The program was a major point of distinction in Portland’s restaurant market.

• Food · 2006

  Comfort-food menu

  The core food offering focused on familiar American dishes served in lunch-counter portions and formats. It included grilled cheese with tomato soup, burger sliders, macaroni and cheese, French toast, hot dogs, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, pulled-pork sandwiches, brisket pot roast, roasted chicken, Caesar salad, and dinner specials such as chicken pot pie and chicken-fried steak. The menu emphasized nostalgia while allowing for additions such as bacon, mushrooms, Cajun chicken, and basil mayonnaise.

• Desserts and beverages · 2006

  Milkshakes and frozen desserts

  Blueplate served traditional soda-fountain desserts including banana splits, egg creams, floats, sundaes, and milkshakes in ribbed glasses. Reported flavors included Chunky Strawberry, Frosted Orange, Arctic Chai, and chocolate-filbert, with seasonal offerings such as pumpkin pie and candy cane. The restaurant used Cascade Glacier ice cream from Eugene, Oregon, and treated frozen desserts as a substantial part of the overall concept rather than a minor add-on.

• 2009Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives appearance

  United States

  Blueplate was featured on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Host Guy Fieri highlighted the restaurant’s grilled cheese and tomato soup, macaroni and cheese, and burger sliders.

  Outcome. The appearance increased national awareness of the Portland restaurant and reinforced its reputation for comfort food and inventive fountain drinks.

  Source

• 2016

  Business closureOther

  Background

  Blueplate had operated in downtown Portland for approximately nine years.

  Action taken

  The restaurant ceased operations in 2016.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the brand’s restaurant and soda-fountain operations and was later described by local food writers as a loss for Portland’s dining scene.

  Source

• 2008

  Publicly supports political discussionStrategy

  Background

  During the 2008 presidential campaign, chef-owner Jeff Reiter displayed a sign supporting Barack Obama. A customer subsequently left a critical message.

  Action taken

  Rather than removing the message, Reiter displayed it in the front window and said the restaurant encouraged political discussion.

  Aftermath

  The episode became part of Blueplate’s public identity as a neighborhood gathering place willing to host civic conversation. No material business impact was established in the available source.

  Source

• 2007

  Expansion into supper serviceStrategy

  Background

  Blueplate initially concentrated on weekday lunch and early dinner in its compact downtown location.

  Action taken

  The restaurant added evening supper service and introduced dinner-oriented specials, including chicken pot pie and chicken-fried steak.

  Aftermath

  The expansion broadened the restaurant’s operating day and extended its comfort-food concept into the evening.

  Source

1. 1Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountainen.wikipedia.org