Shari's Cafe & Pies
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Foodservice |
| Founded | 1978 Hermiston, Oregon, U.S. |
| Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon, U.S. |
Key people | Samuel Borgese (CEO)[1] |
| Revenue | $97.6 million (2006) |
| Owner | Circle Peak Capital |
Number of employees | 4,000 (2017)[1] |
| Subsidiaries | Carrows Coco's Bakery |
| Website | sharis.com |
| Footnotes / references Company data.[2] | |
Shari's Cafe & Pies, originally known as Shari's Restaurants, is a chain of family dining restaurants in the western United States.[3] Restaurants are open 365 days a year, many (but not all) are also open 24 hours.[4] The franchise's original restaurant was opened in Hermiston, Oregon in 1978.[3] As of August 2017, the company operated 95 locations in the states of Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Nebraska and Wyoming.[1][5] Shari's features a distinctive hexagonal building design for most of its restaurant locations. Its corporate offices are located in the Progress area of Beaverton, Oregon.[citation needed]
History
Shari's began in Hermiston, Oregon in 1978 with Ron and Sharon Bergquist as proprietors.[6] 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.[7]
In March 1999, the chain was acquired by Fairmont Capital Inc. for $60 million.[8] At that time Shari's operated 96 locations in seven states with 4,000 employees and $128 million in annual revenue.[8] They were still the ninth largest family chain in 2003.[9]
Shari's lost a gender discrimination lawsuit in April 2005 and was ordered to pay $122,225 in damages.[10][11] In December 2005, the company was purchased by New York private investment firm Circle Peak Capital.[6]
President Larry Curtis retired in July 2008 after 24 years with Shari's and was succeeded by Bruce MacDiarmid.[citation needed] In 2009, Shari's Restaurants took ownership of a number of northern California Baker's Square restaurants and converted them to operate under the Shari's name.[12] Since approximately the middle of 2011–2012, the chain has updated its logo and bills itself on signs and in media as "Shari's Cafe & Pies."[citation needed]
As of August 2017, the company operated 95 locations in the states of Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Nebraska, and Wyoming.[1] It is currently operated by Sharis Management Corporation in Beaverton. Most, but not all locations are open 24 hours a day, with a focus on specialty pies.[13] Samuel Borgese was named CEO in September 2017, replacing MacDiarmid.[1][3]
In September 2018, it was announced that Shari's Cafe & Pies had taken over Carrows and Coco's Bakery.[14][15]
Restaurant design
Shari's restaurants are notable for their patented[16] hexagonal design. The Bergquists originally sought to sell their patented idea to another company, but when they were unable to find a restaurant company willing to buy they started their own chain in Hermiston. Most Shari's restaurants are built to this design; it places the kitchen in the center of the restaurant, providing easy access for the waiting staff to serve customers, and increases the number of tables next to a window.
Historically, upon entering a Shari's restaurant, the dining area was divided by half, with one half on either side of the entrance. One side would allow smoking and the other would be non-smoking. Today the restaurants are non-smoking; however some Shari's restaurants have opened up video lottery rooms (some of which allow smoking) which occupy a portion of the former dining room and are walled off.[citation needed]
See also
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- List of diners
- List of restaurant chains in the United States
- Cuisine of the United States
References
- ^ a b c d e Marum, Anna (September 8, 2017). "New Shari's CEO to put 'healthier twist' on menu". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ Hoovers: Shari's Management Corporation
- ^ a b c Marum, Anna (September 8, 2017). "New Shari's CEO to put 'healthier twist' on menu". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
- ^ https://sharis.com/locations/
- ^ About, Shari's Cafe & Pies, retrieved December 26, 2017
- ^ a b Shari’s: Our History Archived 2007-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Family chains fight back with acquisitions, reduced unit size. Nation's Restaurant News, July 26, 1999.
- ^ a b Fairmont, execs buy Shari's chain for $ 60M. Nation's Restaurant News, March 15, 1999.
- ^ Most second-tier family brands seek recovery from sales slippage; Special Report: Second 100. Nation's Restaurant News, July 28, 2003.
- ^ Gresham man wins gender-bias suit. The Oregonian, April 20, 2005.
- ^ "Gay man wins lawsuit against Shari's". Eugene Register-Guard (via Google News). April 22, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ "Shari's Restaurants Expands". March 18, 2009.
- ^ "Sharis Promotes Vickie Irish to Vice President of People Engagement and Development". IT Business Net Press Release. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ "Shari's Management Corp. takes over Coco's and Carrows". Nation's Restaurant News. 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ Sep. 17, Jonathan Maze on; 2018. "Shari's Pies now owns Coco's and Carrows". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ US 4259816, Bergquist, Ron B., "Restaurant facility", published April 7, 1981
External links
- Official website
- Battistella, Edwin. "Shari's Café & Pies". The Oregon Encyclopedia.