Founded by Alan Osborn and Kelly Haarsager, Better Half is a sandwich shop that brings together meat-focused and meat-free sandwiches, together with plenty of gluten-free options, offering something for everybody.
“We strive to create a welcoming space where all of the options are delicious, and everyone can enjoy a tasty sandwich together without compromise,” Osborn and Haarsager told What Now on Thursday in an email conversation.
The brand secured its first restaurant space in January 2020—just in time for the pandemic. It opened in July of that year.
“Despite the challenges we faced, we remained resilient and continued to pursue our dream of opening Better Half,” said Osborn and Haarsager. “Over the past six years, our business has experienced significant growth. We are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the vibrant Portland community and love contributing to the culinary scene here.”
Now, Better Half is preparing for a reopening this August. The sandwich shop will open in the former Food Front Cooperative Grocery space at 2375 NW Thurman St.
“The new location offers a larger layout and improved parking, allowing us to better serve our guests and expand our offerings. With our new, more spacious kitchen, we are able to bring back both breakfast and lunch sandwich options, our housemade English muffins, and we’re developing a new ciabatta/focaccia hybrid for our lunch sandwiches. We are also bringing back our house made chips, fries, and hashbrowns, as well as our popular Lemongrass Tofu sandwich—a vegan favorite! We will be expanding our coffee program to include espresso drinks as well.”
Opening in the Northwest Thurman Street location, Better Half will join a community of restaurants that include The Dragonfly Coffee House, St. Honoré Bakery, and Phuket Cafe.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to open our doors to the community once again. Our anticipated opening date for the new Better Half location is August 2026, and we cannot wait to welcome everyone back, and we might even have some new merch.”
You can keep up with all things Better Half by following @betterhalfpdx on Instagram.
