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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021
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Restaurants and eateries that closed permanently in 2020
Emily Teel
tributed the closure to
the combined impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic
and area wildfires. The
Portland Press was the
first vendor to sign on to
open inside the food hall
a year ago. Troy Campbell
has since opened Uncle
Troy's BBQ in the former
The Portland Press loca-
tion.
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Coronavirus made 2020 a
devastating year for
small businesses, and
none more so than res-
taurants.
More than 110,000 res-
taurants — representing
one in six U.S. eateries —
closed throughout the
country in 2020 accord-
ing to the December
results of a nationwide
survey by the National
Restaurant Association.
Salem's dining scene was
more resilient than some,
especially those in bigger
cities where staggering
numbers of businesses
shuttered.
Nonetheless, at least 35
Mid-Valley restaurants
and food carts closed up
shop this year, compared
to 25 the year prior and
19 in 2018. The closures
can largely, though not
entirely, be attributed to
the impact of the pan-
demic.
This list does not include
the growing number of
restaurants that have
closed temporarily with
plans to reopen when
they can resume indoor
service. Listed alphabet-
ically, the casualties are
as follows.
Birdie's Bistro
A favorite daytime desti-
nation for many, Birdie's
Bistro was beloved for its
salads, sandwiches and
pastries, especially
among the downtown
breakfast and lunch
crowd. Shana and Toy
Schmidt founded the
business in Keizer in 2012
in the River Road space
that is now Gyro Stop.
Katrina and Aaron Beale
bought the restaurant
and moved it to the Equi-
table Center in December
2017. They closed in
October 2020.
Bite Me Foods
The food cart version of
Esther Saunders' busi-
ness closed in The Yard
Food Park, but Bite Me
Foods lives on as an on-
line bakery specializing in
chocolate truffles, hand-
made candies and Dis-
neyland-inspired treats
for pick-up or mail order.
Bob's Burger Express
The two remaining loca-
tions of Bob's Burger
Express, located in Salem
Center and Willamette
Town Center, both closed
pre-pandemic. Originally
founded in 1955 by Bob
Corey, the local burger
chain was beloved for its
19-cent hamburgers.
There were once 15 loca-
tions in Oregon.Gina and
Larry Dankenbring resur-
rected the Bob's Burgers
brand, after the previous
owners filed for bank-
ruptcy. They continue to
serve Bob's Burgers un-
der the umbrella of Gold-
en Grill, their restaurant,
catering and concessions
business.
BonJapan 86 Yaroku
Muneaki Sugie closed
BonJapan86 Yaroku, his
four-year-old restaurant
on 12th Street, in Novem-
ber. Known for "ofukuro
no aji" or Japanese com-
fort food, guests cele-
brated Sugie's bento
boxes, tempura, Japa-
nese curry, udon, and
rice bowls. Sugie said he
hopes to open a food
truck in the future, but no
plans have been finalized.
Bossi's BBQ
Megan Bossi, Salem's
barbecue queen, served
her final brisket, nacho
cheese and jalapeño
sandwich at Beehive
Station in July. Bossi
launched her barbecue
business in 2019, pop-
ping up in Dallas before
moving her cart to Salem.
Though she had been
able to operate steadily
through the pandemic,
rising costs and fluctuat-
ing availability of meat
cut into the food cart's
margins. That, said Bossi,
combined with the pres-
sure of distance learning
for her kids, made con-
The Bananas Foster waffle at the Cast Iron Cafe on
Nov. 14,2019 in Mount Angel, Ore. MADELEINE COOK /
STATESMAN JOURNAL
tinuing operations unfea-
sible. Bossi said she
hopes to return to barbe-
cue at some point in the
future.
Cast Iron Cafe
Joshua and Elisha Night-
ingale, owners of Silver-
ton’s Live Local Market-
place & Café opened a
second business in Mt.
Angel in Nov. 2019. Cast
Iron Cafe was a homey
breakfast and lunch spot
with skillet-sized cinna-
mon rolls. The impact of
the pandemic forced
them to close the new
business just a few
months later. In Nov.
2020, Leonel Uribe
opened a taqueria called
El Caporal in the 415 Main
Street space.
CR Snell's Custom
Pizza
One of the original ven-
dors at The Yard Food
Park, C.R. Snell's Custom
Pizza departed in Octo-
ber 2019. The business
relocated to Woodburn,
but struggled to connect
with a new customer
base. By the time coro-
navirus restrictions went
into effect, said Maria
Snell, she and husband
Rick had already decided
to close.
Courtyard Cafe
Tony and Tori Garcia had
big dreams when they
bought Dallas' Courtyard
Cafe in fall 2019. They
renovated the breakfast
and lunch spot, but when
coronavirus arrived in
Oregon the couple real-
ized they didn't have the
resources yet banked to
maintain operations
amidst the pandemic.
Tino Land and Augustin
"Jay" Razo opened a third
Azuls Taco House loca-
tion in the Dallas store-
front. Tony Garcia said
they hope to revisit the
possibility of opening
another restaurant some-
time in the future.
El Patron Mexican
Grill
Keizer's El Patron Mex-
ican Grill closed in early
March after five years in
business, toppled by the
pressure brought on by
COVID-19. A family-
friendly spot beloved for
fajitas, El Patron was also
the first restaurant to
offer locally-made La
Familia Cider on draft.
The Chicken Shack Keizer
opened in the former El
Patron space in Septem-
ber.
Firepit Wandering
Kitchen
Rebecca and Ryan Fin-
eran closed their mobile
food business, Firepit
Wandering Kitchen, over
the summer. Beloved for
meaty burgers, sausage
sandwiches, tacos and
more, Firepit popped up
regularly around town
and also had a steady
presence at Barrel & Keg.
In January, they opened a
third location at Salem
Ale Works. Rebecca Fin-
eran said slow sales and
the vulnerability of the
pandemic were major
factors in their decision
to cease operations en-
tirely.
The Glockenspeil
After 12 years of service,
Mt. Angel's Glockenspiel
Restaurant and Pub
closed at the start of
2020 when co-owners
Ernie and Henri Dill and
Mike and Mary Grant
retired. At the time they
hoped to either find a
buyer for the restaurant
space or the right tenant
to lease it as a turn-key
operation and reinvent a
new version of the Glock-
enspiel Restaurant's con-
cept. The space remains
in limbo.
Happy Jing & Sichuan
Giants
Kress Chan and his par-
ents called Happy and
Jing, operated Happy
Jing in Silverton for 10
years before relocating to
Portland Road in June
2017. Ready to retire,
they passed operations
of the business to Chan's
uncle, Xiong Kang Zhen,
in February. Zhen re-
opened it as Sichuan
Giants and added bento
boxes, Japanese and
Sichuan dishes. The
changes were short-
lived. The restaurant
quietly closed mid-year.
Homegrown Grub
Another of the original
vendors at The Yard,
Homegrown Grub offered
scratch-made sand-
wiches, salads and soups.
Oregon Culinary Institute
grad Brianne Taylor
closed the cart at the
start of the year.
Hopheads
Hopheads Bottleshop &
Brewpub closed in Febru-
ary 8. Owner James Car-
ter opened Hopheads
with a plan of showcasing
what he called at the
time "beers of style,"
from artisan breweries.
He and brewer Scott
Shambaugh also ran
Salem's most boutique
brewing program, exclu-
sively selling their brews
through the taproom
itself. Carter said slow
sales forced him to re-
duce inventory and ulti-
mately close the busi-
ness. Sisters Irish Bistro
has since relocated to the
former Hopheads space
on High Street.
Independence Grill &
Bar
Barely a year after Jea-
neen Greenberg bought
Independence Grill & Bar
from founder Gregg Pe-
terson, the Independ-
ence family restaurant
closed indefinitely at the
start of the pandemic.
Greenberg said issues
with the building at 154 S
Main Street were major
factors in the decision to
close. She hopes to re-
open another food busi-
ness, likely a smaller cafe,
at some point post-pan-
demic.
Pressed Coffee
Mateasa and Kirk Bathke
closed their downtown
Dallas cafe and venue
Pressed Coffee after
service on Dec. 31. The
couple purchased
Pressed from previous
owners in March 2019.
Without being able to
operate normally, of-
fering trivia, live music,
and open mic nights,
business was too slow to
keep them going. They're
deciding whether to
liquidate the business
entirely or try to reopen
in the future in a space
with a smaller footprint.
Red Ginger
A Keizer destination for
Thai food for a decade,
Red Ginger closed with-
out announcement over
the summer. Owners
Amanda Singharaj and
Perry Sinasone could not
be reached for comment.
El Vaquero Santa Maria
BBQ, a new business
specializing in a style of
barbecue from the cen-
tral coast of California,
opened in the space in
September, but is now
temporarily closed until
indoor dining can re-
sume.
The Ritz
The Ritz, a longstanding
diner on Lancaster Drive
SE, ceased operations at
the end of October. "I
didn't plan to close," said
operator Adam McCor-
mick, but "the day just
came I had to admit I
can't do this anymore."
Mallory Ramey, McCor-
mick's fiancé, launched a
crowdfunding campaign
with the goal of raising
$75,000 to pay back rent
and bills to reopen. To
date, the campaign has
raised $1,253.
Monmouth food truck
Sav's Thai had a good
year, said owner Savan-
nah Randolph, but in
mid-December she an-
nounced the truck would
be closing permanently.
The decision, she said,
wasn't about the pan-
demic. "I just didn’t enjoy
the job as much as I was
hoping and missed the
stability of a regular of-
fice job. I told myself I
had to try it for at least a
year to give myself time
to see if it was a right fit
for me."
Year-old Pringle Plaza
deli Sal's closed in spring,
but owner Aaron Heath
remains a partner in Val-
iant the Sandwich, which
opened in the Sal's
space. Valiant is the first
restaurant from Joshua
Anderson, most recently
the chef of Avid Cider's
Pearl District taphouse,
and already feels like a
fixture in the Salem din-
ing scene.
Shawerma Owok
Shawerma Owok, a red
food truck across from
the Roth's Vista location
in South Salem, was one
of few places locally spe-
cializing in Middle East-
ern sandwiches, platters
and salads, all crowned
with a swizzle of pungent
garlic sauce. Open since
summer 2017, the truck
was a mother-son ven-
ture of Amal Idris and
Mohammad Hasan. They
closed the businesses
temporarily at the start
of the pandemic and
reopened in summer. But
sales were so slow, Hasan
said, they closed for
good in September. New
food truck Don Chuy's
Tacos has since taken up
residence in the space.
Emily Teel is the Food &
Drink Editor at the
Statesman Journal. Con-
tact her at eteel@states-
manjournal.com, Face-
book, or Twitter. See
what she's cooking and
where she's eating this
week on Instagram:
@emily_teel
Saigon Vietnamese
Restaurant & Grill
After 18 years running
the homey Vietnamese
eatery on Court Street
beloved for vermicelli
bowls, pho, and bánh mì
on freshly baked rolls,
owners Hien Tran and
Dong Nguyen were ready
to retire. The couple
closed Saigon Vietnam-
ese Restaurant in March
just before the first coro-
navirus dining restric-
tions began. 477 Court
Street NE is now home to
fast casual restaurant
Pasta Crafted Eatery.
Samurai Madame
Owners Mar’cia and Mar-
ty Schrock closed Sam-
urai Madame, downtown
Silverton's hybrid sushi/
poke destination and
bakery, in early February
after two years in busi-
ness. Paul Lieggi, for-
merly executive chef at
Mt. Angel Abbey, opened
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Kyoto Japanese
A Salem destination for
sushi and teppanyaki,
Kyoto Japanese Restau-
rant, closed in November.
Owners Sue and Sam
Koizumi had operated the
business for 37 years.
They closed temporarily
at the start of the pan-
demic. Though they re-
opened over the summer,
pandemic operating re-
strictions were difficult
for them to manage be-
cause of the style of the
restaurant. At a table
built to seat eight, Sue
said, they were serving
parties of two or four,
and "we only have seven
tables." Phased reopen-
ing requirements prohib-
ited seating guests at
their sushi bar. These
factors combined, said
Koizumi, "that's not
enough business."
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The Portland Press
The Portland Press, Bran-
don and Aaron Appel's
gluten-free waffle sand-
wich spot at Fork Forty,
announced plans to close
in September. They at-
Sav's Thai Kitchen
Sal's Deli & Bistro
Robert's Crossing
A Salem destination for
date-night dining and
holiday celebrations for a
decade, Roberts Crossing
was the first restaurant
to publicly announce a
closure after Oregon
reopened under phase 1
restrictions. Owner Jeff
Glodt said the restau-
rant's higher-priced me-
nu made it more vul-
nerable than his other
two restaurants, loca-
tions of Grain Station
Brew Works in Monmouth
and McMinnville. Market
and cafe Lively Station
opened in the former
Robert's Crossing space
on Dec. 16.
Fin + Fowl Kitchen in the
storefront. Lieggi's con-
cept is a fitting succes-
sor, specializing in ramen,
rice bowls, salads, and
some sushi bento boxes.
Justin Ego closed their
brewery Salem Ale Works
at the end of August.
Typically, Bonham said,
80% to 90% of the beer
S.A.W brewed was sold in
the brewery's 25th Street
taphouse. They pivoted
towards canned beers,
but the volume wasn't
there. Bonham said,
"looking out into fall and
winter without any sort
of change, we just didn't
really see a way forward."
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8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd
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832 NE Broadway
(503) 783-3393
TIGARD
12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy
(503) 783-6869
EASTSIDE
1433 SE 122nd Ave
(503) 783-6865
MILWAUKIE
16475 SE McLoughlin Blvd
(503) 653-7076
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