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CHIEFS of a casual dining chain have closed all their remaining restaurants in an entire state.
A raft of Shari’s Café and Pies establishments have abruptly closed across the state of Oregon.
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Shari’s has been a constant in the American dining scene since 1978, but the chain has faced financial difficulties and has been embroiled in legal battles.
Restaurant chiefs have been gradually whittling down the chain’s portfolio of restaurants, which stood at nearly 100 at its peak.
But, it appears the chain, whose competitors include Denny’s, is now pulling the plug on its 17 remaining establishments in Oregon.
At the start of the year, there were 42 Shari’s establishments across the state.
Diners in Portland and Oregon City are among those that have suddenly closed, according to The Oregonian.
Six restaurants were padlocked and had signs stuck to them informing that they had closed, as reported by the CBS affiliate KOIN.
An email seen by the outlet paid tribute to workers who had tried to overcome the challenges the business had faced over the past year.
Oregon lottery officials have been removing terminals from the restaurants that have shuttered.
Execs have warned about the impact such a closure could have.
“A closure this large is uncharted territory for us,” Oregon lottery director Mike Wells said.
Workers claimed they were told by text that the restaurants were shutting.
Tiffany Johnson, the general manager at the Farmington location, told KOIN it would have been nice if staffers had been given an advanced warning.
“I get there’s issues that you can’t fix. I get that,” she said.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
- Hart House: Shutterd all four locations in California in September just two years after the vegan fast-food restaurant chain was launched by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
“But giving us some sort of notice, or at least informing the employees, would be awesome.”
There has been a trickle of Shari’s closures over recent months.
Eateries in Keizer, Redmond, Bend, and Medford, Oregon, have closed.
Bosses have shuttered restaurants in other states, including Idaho and Washington state.
The company’s final restaurant in Tacoma, Washington, closed in July.
FINANCIAL WOES
Bosses have been firefighting a series of challenges in recent months.
The company was hit with eviction notices over allegations that it failed to pay rent, as reported by the NBC affiliate KGW.
The restaurant chain had racked up an unpaid tax bill totaling $220,000, according to Idaho tax chiefs.
Shari’s execs reportedly owed money to construction, plumbing, and local marketing companies.
But, the restaurant chain is not the only company that has been forced into store closures.
Chains with rich histories, including Applebee’s, Chili’s, and IHOP, have closed restaurants.
Even iconic brands revered worldwide, such as KFC and Pizza Hut, have trimmed their portfolios.
Hundreds of Red Lobster restaurants closed their doors as the chain fought for survival.
Execs filed for bankruptcy earlier this year before the company successfully emerged in September.
The company is headed by the new CEO, Damola Adamolekun.
The chain encountered financial headwinds, and its endless shrimp promo was identified as one of the factors.
But Adamolekun hasn’t ruled out bringing back the promotion in a different format.
