On Jan. 17, Provisions opened a new addition to their Eugene properties on East 13th Avenue underneath the Flock 13 apartment building near the University of Oregon campus.
Provisions 13 is a “breakfast-to-bar gathering spot” that primarily operates as a coffee shop to university students who may wander in between early classes, before shifting into a finer dining experience close to campus, offering students more options besides fast food locations.
There are two other Provisions locations in Eugene: one in the 5th Street Public Market and the other in south Eugene. Both locations offer the European-style of market halls, selling farm-fresh food and prepared goods while also offering a dining experience unlike other restaurants.
All three Provision locations are operated by the Marché Restaurant Group, which also owns Marché restaurant and Magpie Coffeeshop.
Jessica MacMurray Blaine, COO and creative director of the Marché Restaurant Group, said that before moving to its new location on 13th Avenue there was previously a coffee shop in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
“We used to have a wonderful little café in the (museum) right there in the heart of campus that we operated until 2020,” MacMurray Blaine said. “We’ve been looking for something near campus for a little while, and when the project at Flock 13 came up as a possibility we just jumped on it.”
MacMurray Blaine added that by opening Provisions 13, there’s “new opportunities for people.”
“One thing that sets us apart pretty drastically is that it sort of follows the European tradition of, it’s a café and coffee and breakfast in the morning and transitions to a restaurant and bar,” MacMurray Blaine said. “So we did build … with the intention of making it a real sort of neighborhood gathering place.”
Other coffee shops within a ten minute walk from campus are Espresso Roma and Tailored Coffee Roasters on East 13th Avenue. Other locations are typically between 15 and 30 minutes away, which may make it difficult for students to access them easily.
UO student Sophie Cannon said they prefer the coffee shops on campus compared to others. Since Eugene is a college town, Cannon said college students have “three different flavors” of companies they like.
“It’s tattoo shops, coffee shops and dispensaries, maybe bars if you want to include that,” Cannon said. “Then it’s like, what really drives a college town? Do we have too many, or maybe do we want them all?”
Provisions 13 is open seven days a week from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends.
