The Portland Tribune is a KOIN 6 News media partner.
PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — The Tualatin, Beaverton and Bend Cracker Barrel restaurants and stores have closed permanently, effective Monday, March 20.
“As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate the performance of our stores, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our guests and our business,” Cracker Barrel stated in a corporate news release. “With that, we are saddened that we have been unable to overcome the impact the pandemic had on our business and have made the difficult decision to close the Beaverton, Tualatin, and Bend locations.”
The release said Cracker Barrel doesn’t take closing a store lightly and “our focus right now is in assisting our impacted employees during this transition.”
Websites for both the Tualatin and Beaverton restaurants have a red “permanently closed” banner on them.
“We extend our sincere thanks to our employees who worked so hard to keep our fireplace glowing and to the guests who have dined with us, celebrated with us, and made us part of their community,” Cracker Barrel added in its statement.
The Tualatin store opened in April 2017 to enthusiastic reviews, with expectations it would employ 180 part and full-time employees. The Beaverton Cracker Barrel followed the next year, opening in February 2018.
Known for its comfort food, the restaurants also contained small stores that sold “nostalgic and unique products.”
The Tualatin restaurant even hosted Ray Yoder and his wife Wilma in August 2017.
The Yoders were famous for having visited every Cracker Barrel location in the United States, and the visit to Tualatin was their 645th store visit.
“I think it’s the best birthday I’ve ever had,” Yoder, who was 81 at the time, told a reporter.