Huckleberry’s is turning a shuttered Gresham diner into a slice of the Louisiana bayou. The Southern-style breakfast and lunch chain is set to open its first Oregon restaurant on July 13 in the former Shari’s café at 881 SW Highland Drive, serving up Mardi Gras beignets, Cajun-style eggs Benedict, catfish platters and other brunch heavy hitters, plus a limited giveaway for early birds in line.
The company lists the Gresham address at 881 Southwest Highland Drive as “Coming Soon” on its locations page, confirming both the site and its in-progress status. According to Huckleberry's, the Gresham restaurant is part of the brand’s push beyond its California base.
A franchising announcement states that doors will officially open Monday, July 13, with a bit of swag to sweeten the deal. The first 50 people in line will score a “Who's Your Huckleberry?” mug along with free coffee throughout opening day. The same release runs through staple menu items such as Mardi Gras beignets, Stacked Chicken & Waffles, shrimp po' boys and Huck's Swamp Tea, and includes a statement from CEO Greg Graber describing the chain’s Louisiana bayou theme, according to Franchising.com.
From Shari's To New Tenants
Shari’s Café & Pies abruptly shut down all of its Oregon locations in October 2024, leaving a trail of vacant, freestanding restaurant buildings across the Portland metro area. That sudden exit has created a mini real estate shuffle, as other concepts move in and landlords hunt for replacement tenants, according to KPTV.
Coverage across the state shows former Shari’s sites being handed off to a mix of chains and independent operators, with examples stretching from North Bend to Portland. Reports from KTVZ and Eater Portland note that chains are especially drawn to Shari’s ready-made dining shells, which can speed up openings and cut construction time.
Opening-Day Details
The Gresham Huckleberry’s is scheduled to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., focusing on scratch-made Southern comfort breakfast and lunch fare. Anyone eyeing that opening-day mug giveaway will need to line up early, since the franchising release repeats that the first 50 guests qualify for the promotion and the free coffee perk, according to Franchising.com.
Huckleberry’s has grown quickly from its California roots into a few dozen locations across the West and Southwest, and Gresham will mark the brand’s first foothold in Oregon, per the company’s site. For additional coverage of the opening and background on the former Shari’s building, see reporting by The Oregonian/OregonLive and the company site at Huckleberry's.
