PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland-based restaurant chain McMenamins announced on Tuesday that it is temporarily closing all but one of its locations amid the coronavirus outbreak. There are 65 known cases of COVID-19 in Oregon, as of Tuesday afternoon.
The one location that will remain open, for to-go sales only, is the 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop in Portland.
The closures mean nearly 3,000 McMenamins employees will be let go.
“This is drastic, but necessary, to allow our employees to file for unemployment benefits and ensure that there will be jobs to come back to when this extraordinary episode ends,” a statement from the McMenamin family reads.
McMenamins was founded in 1983 and has grown to more than 60 locations in Oregon and Washington.
Read the full statement from the McMenamin family:
“Today, we’re taking the necessary and unprecedented step of temporarily closing the doors of all of our McMenamins locations in Oregon and Washington for the next several weeks. The one exception: Our 23rd Ave. Bottle Shop in Portland will remain open for to-go sales. It’s taken a lifetime to build this company, together with the help of our employees and customers. This is something none of us ever could have anticipated. After exploring all options, we are laying off nearly 3,000 employees – almost everyone at the company – effective Today, March 17. This is drastic, but necessary, to allow our employees to file for unemployment benefits and ensure that there will be jobs to come back to when this extraordinary episode ends. And we are confident it will end. Until then, we thank you for your support and understanding and look forward to gathering with you again soon.”
- Mike, Brian and the McMenamin Family