Shari's Cafe & Pies
US restaurant chain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shari's Cafe & Pies, originally known as Shari's Restaurants, is a chain of family dining restaurants in the western United States.[5][6] Known for their house-made pies, Shari's also offers a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.[7] Shari's is known for their familiar hexagonal building design.[8] At its largest extent, Shari's had 96 locations across five western states plus Nebraska. As of June 2026, Shari's has 8 locations: 2 in California, 2 in Idaho, and 4 in Washington, with corporate headquarters in Oregon.[9]
| |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Foodservice |
| Founded | 1978 Hermiston, Oregon, U.S. |
| Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon, U.S. |
Key people | Samuel Borgese (CEO)[1] |
| Revenue | $121.4 million[2] (2023) |
| Owner | Gather Holdings[3] |
| Subsidiaries | Coco's Bakery |
| Website | sharis.com |
| Footnotes Company data.[4] | |
History
Shari's began in Hermiston, Oregon, in 1978 with Ron and Sharon "Shari" Bergquist as proprietors.[10] The two ran the company for seven years. By 1999, Shari's was the ninth-largest family restaurant chain in the United States based on total sales, and sixth in growth.[11][better source needed]
In March 1999, the chain was acquired by Fairmont Capital Inc. for $60 million.[12] At that time Shari's operated 96 locations in seven states with 4,000 employees and $128 million in annual revenue.[12] They were still the ninth largest family chain in 2003.[13]
Shari's lost a gender discrimination lawsuit in April 2005 and was ordered to pay $122,225 in damages.[14][15] In December 2005, the company was purchased by New York private investment firm Circle Peak Capital.[10]
President Larry Curtis retired in July 2008 after 24 years with Shari's and was succeeded by Bruce MacDiarmid.[16] In 2009, Shari's Restaurants took ownership of a number of northern California Baker's Square restaurants and converted them to operate under Shari's name.[17]
The chain is currently operated by Shari's Management Corporation in Beaverton. Most, but not all locations are open 24 hours a day, with a focus on specialty pies.[18] Samuel Borgese was named CEO in September 2017, replacing MacDiarmid.[1][5] In mid-2017, the company was operating 95 locations in the states of California, Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, just one fewer than in the year 2000.[1][19] Shari's previously operated several restaurants in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Texas. However, the company permanently closed all locations in those four states sometime between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s due to poor management. During the 2020s, operations ceased in Nebraska and Wyoming as well.
In September 2018, it was announced that Shari's Cafe & Pies had taken over Carrows and Coco's Bakery.[20][21]
In August 2024, it was announced that Shari's Cafe & Pies has been behind on payments for both property, taxes and services rendered for the restaurant chain. [22] As a result, a large number of Shari's locations permanently closed. [23] By early October 2024, the number of locations had declined to 49, operating in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.[24] In late October, all Oregon locations closed abruptly, dropping the remaining number of locations to seventeen.[25] Shari's owes around $900,000 to the Oregon Lottery for their video lottery machines.[26]
In May 2026, Lena Brands, the parent company of Shari's Cafe & Pies, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing assets and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million.[27]