Small Business in Portland (Beaverton, Beaver: home, suburbs, costs)

[flatlander92]

My family is from Texas and we are contemplating a move to the Portland area. If we move, my father will open a small restaurant/cafe. It would specialize in home style type cooking and Texas barbecue. We just wanted to ask a few questions before we made a cross country move and started a small business.
1. What would it cost to open up a nice business?
2. What would be the best area (suburbs included) to have this restaurant?
3. Would locals support this type of business or would they think of it as an tacky or uncouth establishment?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated and hopefully we can make the move soon.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Typically, the best barbque places are in lower NE Portland. However, good barbque will fit anywhere in the city. I might avoid some of the short strip malls with poor access due to busy traffic and if you can find a stand alone building, that would be best as it broadens what one can do with their business. The costs are no more than most large cities. I think Portland is a fair to good, but not great town for barbque. It's not like the south. Since I love barbque and frequent almost every new restaurant, it's going to boil down to the food & atmosphere, together.

If you make this come true, let us know when you open and I'll be there.

[ksgator]

Please come! I have yet to find a decent bbq place here in Portland.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by ksgator

Please come! I have yet to find a decent bbq place here in Portland.

There's some decent places, but none like Atlanta.

[mdvaden]

Tacky?

Doubt it. There are popular restaurants near there, selling steak dinners, where people toss peanut shells on the concrete floor.

Portland and suburbs are not a hard area to start business, provided there are not too many of what you want to start.

I'm moving my business "center of gravity" back to the Portland area from Southern Oregon.

Going to be based in Beaverton on Portland's west side.