Shari’s Restaurants closes down all its locations in Oregon

Shari’s Café and Pies has closed all 42 of its locations in Oregon.

That’s according to an email the Oregon Lottery said it received Monday after contacting Shari’s parent company, Gather Holdings.

Melanie Mesaros, a spokesperson with the lottery, said the agency was aware of the restaurant’s financial issues but didn’t know the full extent.

There’s no word yet on the exact reason for the closure of the family-style, comfort-food restaurant — or on how many employees were impacted.

According to Mesaros, the restaurant failed to pay the Oregon Lottery in May, which resulted in the agency shutting down some of its lottery machines. Retailers are required to pay Video Lottery game revenue weekly into an account with the state, according to Mesaros.

Shari’s eventually paid that balance, but has a new outstanding payment for this month, Mesaros said.

As of Monday, Shari’s owes the Oregon Lottery over $900,000.

The agency has also been collecting lottery equipment from locations that closed earlier in the month.

After learning of the widespread closure, Oregon Lottery director Mike Wells sent a message to staff Monday and noted the sadness of seeing such a longstanding company like Shari’s shut down.

The first Shari’s opened in 1978 in Hermiston, Oregon. The company, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, at one point, had 95 locations across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Wyoming and Nebraska.

According to its website, the restaurant served over 48,000 eggs annually, served over 50,000 slices of bread and grilled over 200 pounds of beef each week.

The 24-hour restaurant was open 365 days a year.

A request for comment to Gather Holdings has not been returned as of Monday afternoon.