Perhaps this is the “feel good” review of a local restaurant I give this year.

It’s well-known that within the Portland metropolitan area, there exists a stable and highly competitive layout of eateries.

Often times, it’s a toss-up on whether or not a newly established joint can make it big.

At first, it appeared that the recently opened Oodles of Noodles, located off of Willamette Dr. would succumb to the pressure cooker that has become this suburb’s restaurant industry.

But that all changed when The Newspacer’s own Hailey King and her family decided to assist a neighboring business out of pure kindness and generosity.

Through financial aid and time spent with owner Krystal Espiritu following the conclusion of the workday for the King’s, Oodles of Noodles was able to remain in operation.

And not only has it since stayed afloat, it now appears to have transformed itself into a profiting and happy little restaurant featuring Thai cuisine.

“I highly recommend going there,” said King. “The food’s good and they’re so nice. Plus we get free food.”

I second King’s complimentary attitude of this place. Having ate there last month, I sensed good vibes and readings about the future of Oodles.

As it is surrounded by other highly profitable and popular restaurants, including the likes of Bugatti’s, Thai Orchid and Linn City Pub, the necessity of standing out amongst a crowd is brought to a forefront here.

But I think it has the potential to be the “steal of the area” given its exuded work ethic and fundamental approach to pleasing customers.

While there, not one member of my party of six ordered a dish that cost over $10. It was pretty remarkable considering the plentiful portion sizes.

I was stuffed after polishing off my yakisoba and that in itself is a rarity.

The idea of putting the customer’s wishes first is truly manifested at Oodles. Following a mentioning from King, the owners gave us a surprise appetizer of salad rolls and potstickers even though she wasn’t present herself.

It was a model act of taking a genuine interest in the experience of a customer.

The food itself was no slouch either. I loved the crispiness of our appetizers and was particularly fond of the house made peanut sauce primarily exhibited in the pad thai.

Senior Michael Kiever, who is a pad thai enthusiast and self-proclaimed expert on this dish appeared to thoroughly enjoy his food and gobbled it up.

Throw in a take-out and call-in service, I think you have a winner here with an approachable menu that serves nice food coupled with phenomenal work ethic from the staff.

Oh and it certainly doesn’t hurt the cause that Oodles is positioned right off of I-43 and easily accessible from neighboring towns such as Lake Oswego, Gladstone and Oregon City.

With a plastic sign, paper menus and a checkered floor, it’s still a work in progress and taking strides to become great.

However, everything I’ve been told from King and her parents, along with my own concurring visit, indicates that Oodles of Noodles isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

It’s always nice to support a local business.

But it’s even better to do so when your fellow Pacers have connections to one.

Join all of us here at The Newspacer and help Oodles of Noodles go from good to great.