The Dialogue: What Readers Think About Portland Restauranteur Micah Camden

“As an employee of Little Big Burger, Camden is nothing to be celebrated."

(Abby Gordon)

Last week, WW wrote about Portland's most successful restaurateur, Micah Camden ("Burger King," WW, Oct. 24, 2018). Camden is a high school dropout turned chef whose fast-food empire now includes Blue Star Donuts, Boxer Ramen and Super Deluxe. Camden, who built and sold the Little Big Burger chain, is unabashed about his capitalist and populist aims. Here's what readers had to say.

Michael Graham, via Facebook: "Great story, gotta like that guy!"

Realist, via Twitter: "The chef whose goal is to make every neighborhood in Portland look the same."

Stephen Judkins, via Twitter: "Is gentrification caused by rising rents and home prices? No, it is because of the aesthetics of burger shops."

Harley Leiber, via wweek.com: "Camden is what lots of Portland Phony Foodies need to be: a businessman. Find the market, carve out the niche, serve the market, expand…sell out. Duh. Continued good fortune to him. (I doubt you'll be seeing him any time soon riding a scooter to a weed shop and rushing home to play video games.)"

Tdp, via wweek.com: "'The hardest thing about being successful is finding people who'll be happy for you.' Damn. Great story. Get it, holmes!"

Nope, via wweek.com: "As an employee of Little Big Burger, Camden is nothing to be celebrated. He has the same M.O. as all other exploitative businessmen: create the shittiest work environment for the lowest-paid workers as allowed by law, just dress it up nice."

Vladiator, via week.com: "I fail to see what the big deal is about this guy. Am I supposed to be wowed by his arm tats?"

Iaian, via Twitter: "I, for one, miss the personal training gym that was replaced by the original Little Big Burger."

Jerry Channell, via Facebook: "Portland cuisine has a new king."

Scott Jones, via Twitter: "I like the fact that Micah Camden is a former felon and high school dropout, and yet he is a multimillionaire. I went to Super Deluxe today for lunch, and I must say it was not only Super, it was Deluxe."

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