Yahoo Finance No more pies! Shari’s suddenly shuts its last Tri-Cities restaurant after 40+ years
Shari’s Management Corp., the Beaverton, Ore., chain of pie-oriented restaurants, closed its Kennewick location over the weekend.
A sign in the window of Shari’s, 1200 N. Columbia Center Blvd., indicated the restaurant was permanently closed. It operated for more than 40 years across the street from Columbia Center mall.
The move was was abrupt, similar to 2021, when Shari’s closed its Richland location.
Shari’s officials could not be reached Monday morning about the decision.
No one answered calls to the restaurant Monday, and Kennewick no longer appeared on the company’s website. On Monday, a vendor pulled up to remove equipment and someone inside appeared to be cleaning up.
Pies were still visible in a pastry case near the cash register.
A long-time patron told the Herald nothing was amiss during his regular Sunday morning brunch.
When he learned it was the last day for Shari’s longtime cook, he inquired about what was going on.
Staff told him they’d been given 72 hours notice on Thursday that the restaurant would close Sunday.
The patron, who asked not to be named, said he and his wife were Sunday brunch regulars.
Shari’s said it held a special place in his heart as an enduring brand in the Tri-Cities.
Now that there are no Shari’s restaurants left in the Tri-Cities, he said, he will shift to Sterling’s or one of the community’s other brunch spots.
Richland redevelopment
Shari’s closed its Richland restaurant at Safeway-anchored Washington Plaza in 2021. The Richland restaurant’s distinctive six-sided hexagon building was demolished. The lot is being redeveloped with a Starbucks and other food retailers.
It is unclear if a similar fate awaits the Kennewick building, also a hexagon.
The restaurant is part of the 8.63-acre Columbia Square retail complex with neighbors such as T.J. Maxx and Ulta Beauty. The property was originally developed in 1979.
It has been owned since 2012 by Argonaut Investments, based in Larkspur, Calif.
The restaurant has had several updates in recent years, including a $160,000 remodel that updated the entry and dining room, according to Kennewick building permit records.
Prominent vacancies
Besides T.J. Maxx and Ulta Beauty, Shari’s is neighbors with the Bed Bath & Beyond, one of 150 targeted for closure in February.
Bed Bath & Beyond said Sunday it would file for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey and intended to liquidate its remaining locations.
The property manager and leasing agent for Argonaut could not be reached to comment on plans for the Shari’s and Bed Bath & Beyond spots.
