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Shari's Cafe & Pies facts for kids

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Shari's Cafe & Pies
Private
Industry Foodservice
Founded 1978; 46 years ago (1978)
Hermiston, Oregon, U.S.
Headquarters Beaverton, Oregon, U.S.
Key people
Samuel Borgese (CEO)
Revenue $97.6 million (2006)
Owner Circle Peak Capital
Number of employees
4,000 (2017)
Subsidiaries Coco's Bakery
Footnotes / references
Company data.

Shari's Cafe & Pies, originally known as Shari's Restaurants, is a chain of family dining restaurants in the western United States based in Beaverton, Oregon. Its restaurants are pie-oriented. The franchise's original restaurant was opened in Hermiston, Oregon, in 1978. In mid-2017, the company was operating 95 locations, just one fewer than in the year 2000. As of May 2024, the company operates 74 locations in California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Shari's are known for their familiar hexagonal building design.

History

SharisLogo
Shari's logo (2003–2011)

Shari's began in Hermiston, Oregon, in 1978 with Ron and Sharon Bergquist as proprietors. 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.

Shari's Cafe and Pies Logo
Shari's logo from 2011

In March 1999, the chain was acquired by Fairmont Capital Inc. for $60 million. At that time Shari's operated 96 locations in seven states with 4,000 employees and $128 million in annual revenue. They were still the ninth largest family chain in 2003.

Shari's lost a gender discrimination lawsuit in April 2005 and was ordered to pay $122,225 in damages. In December 2005, the company was purchased by New York private investment firm Circle Peak Capital.

President Larry Curtis retired in July 2008 after 24 years with Shari's and was succeeded by Bruce MacDiarmid. 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. 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."

Shari's also had several restaurants in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Texas in the past. The restaurant company decided to permanently close all of its locations within those four states due to poor management sometime between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. 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. Samuel Borgese was named CEO in September 2017, replacing MacDiarmid. 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. In July 2023, the company closed its restaurant in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It was the only location within the state.

In September 2018, it was announced that Shari's Cafe & Pies had taken over Carrows and Coco's Bakery.

Garden Home Oregon Sharis
Location in Garden Home, Oregon in 2009

See also