PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Friday was the final day of a long-standing and well-loved breakfast spot in Northeast Portland.
The owners of King’s Omelets don’t want to close, but between repeated vandalism, rising insurance rates and inflation, Eric and Eva Liu tell KOIN 6 News that they can’t go on.
It was incredibly busy from open to close. The parking lot was packed with a line out the door, as all of their loyal customers came to support them on the final day.
Eric and Eva are closing a decades-long chapter of their life after serving up unstoppable omelets for over two decades.
Teague Oviatt has been coming to Kings Omelets every Friday for the past six years and said the owners have made meaningful relationships with their regulars.
“If they see the caller I.D., they already know it’s me and just say hi, you know,” Oviatt said.
“We’re like family,” Eva Liu said. “We’ve been here a long time. Everybody is almost like a regular, coming every week, some every day. All the same stuff never changed.”
From rising food costs to persistent property crime in Portland, Eva says it’s too hard to remain in the restaurant industry right now.
“The last time my window got broken, I made the decision it’s time to go. I love all the people here. I feel a lot of love. I feel sorry for the regulars. I cannot stay and serve them anymore,” she said.
Though things aren’t sunny-side up right now, the family at King’s Omelets said it’s been an honor to serve a beautiful breakfast for all these years.