One Pacific Northwest diner will take over for another at four locations around Oregon.
A handful of now-defunct Shari’s Cafe & Pies locations will live again — in the form of an apparently more resilient Pacific Northwest diner chain.
Elmer’s Restaurant will take over four former Shari’s diners around Oregon, having weathered the pandemic better than Shari’s, which closed its last location in October after struggling financially for years.
Founded in Hermiston in 1978, Shari’s was once the largest dining chain based in the Pacific Northwest. Shari’s restaurants featured a unique, hexagonal building layout to maximize window space for patrons and minimize the distance between diners and the kitchen. The design was that of Shari’s co-founder and architect Ron Bergquist. The comfort-food menu, heavy on pies and other sweet treats, was devised by his wife, Sharon, aka Shari.
The Bergquists grew the chain to 97 locations primarily in the Pacific Northwest by the time they sold to Fairmount Capital in 2000. At the time of the restaurants’ closure the chain was owned by Gather Holdings.
Shari’s downfall happened gradually, then all at once. A string of bad business decisions led to building liens and the loss of loyal customers. The company limped into 2024 with 17 locations but by last fall, it closed its last remaining restaurant, near Portland International Airport. But the final closures were tied to more than $900,000 million in unpaid debts to the Oregon Lottery, which had a longstanding business relationship with the chain through its video poker lounges.
The other three former Shari’s locations scheduled to become Elmer’s are:
- 2185 NW 185th in Hillsboro
- 19365 SW Martinazzi Ave in Tualatin
- 3098 N. Highway 97 in Bend
All locations are scheduled to open in the fall, according to Elmer’s website.
Elmer’s was founded as Elmer’s Colonial Pancake House by Walt and Dorothy Elmer in Portland in 1960. Elmer’s today has more than two dozen locations in Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho, plus three Egg ‘n Joe restaurants in Arizona. Elmer’s will debut at the PDX location at 11335 N.E. Airport Way this winter, according to The Oregonian. It’s less than a mile from another Elmer’s at 10001 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
Elmer’s operated in Bend from 1966 until 1986, according to The Bulletin.
Several other Shari’s locations have been revived as popular chain restaurants. One in Vancouver is now a Shake Shack. Another in Gresham is planned to become an In-N-Out restaurant.
The lottery commission sent Shari’s to collections in February. In December, MGG SPV Duck sued Gather Holdings CEO Samuel Borgese for “breaches of duty” to the firm, which had invested $14 million into Gather, according to public records. The suit was dropped in January. Former employees of the chain have also filed class-action suits against Gather Holdings, alleging the company violated the WARN Act, which requires 60 days notice for large layoffs, when shuttering Oregon restaurants and terminating employees. The Washington suit alleges that job postings in Washington state violated salary and benefits disclosure requirements.
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