The Friendly Garden

Neighbors sharing a pint... families enjoying a meal... friends sampling delicacies from local chefs—if you want to see Eugene’s community spirit in full bloom, The Friendly Garden is the place to be! 

This food cart pod on, appropriately, Friendly Street sprung up last year and immediately put down roots as a hub for neighborhood folks to get together for everything that makes Eugene vibrant: great food and drinks, live entertainment from local musicians, and community events. 

As Teri Reifer, one of the founders of the pod, says, “My partners and I wanted a nice, safe place where people of all ages can get together, bring their kids, and connect as a community.” One of the most important considerations for the pod, Teri says, is supporting the values that make Eugene a vibrant place to live. “Our commitment is to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. Our beverage cart has a dishwasher so we can use glass instead of plastic cups, and all the vendors source healthy ingredients locally as much as possible.”

Of course, an important part of Eugene’s thriving community is local businesses—and The Friendly Garden is proud to partner with other businesses who share their values, from the entrepreneurs serving up great food to the local vendors they choose. 

“The ethics and commitment to the environment is an important part of who we partner with,” says Teri—and that’s one of the first things that drew her and her partners to Apex. But what really sealed the deal, Teri says, was the dedication to service on display from the get-go. “Trash and recycling service is crucial to a business like ours, and we had a lot of details to figure out—the right size containers, a collection schedule that was sensitive to our neighbors, and making sure things were processed in a sustainable way.” 

There were a lot of surprises as The Friendly Garden got going—and Apex was there to help every step of the way. From a quick extra pick-up when containers filled up faster than expected to tinkering with the collection schedule, Apex’s can-do customer service was at the ready. “I don’t think I’ve ever had better customer service from any company, ever!” Teri says. “Any time we needed help, I’d pick up the phone and Chris would take care of things. He made a point to get to know who I am and what we needed—it really makes a difference.”

Here at Apex, we couldn’t be happier to see The Friendly Garden growing, thriving, and bringing another bright spot to Eugene’s ecosystem of unique local businesses. It’s our honor to be part of their mission and success—and as a bonus, every pickup is a chance to grab some great local grub for lunch!