/tigard/italian/72nd
Romano's Macaroni Grill
The Arizona-based owner of six local Chili's plans to close its Lake Oswego and Wilsonville restaurants today after closing two other Portland-area locations Monday.
Quality Restaurants Northwest Inc., a franchisee based in Scottsdale, Ariz., closed two Beaverton Chili's on Monday and returned ownership of its Eugene and Clackamas locations to parent company Brinker International of Dallas, Texas, said Maureen Locus, a Brinker spokeswoman.
Locus said Quality Restaurants also closed Chili's in Bellevue, Wash., and Issaquah, Wash.
Quality Restaurants representatives did not return repeated calls Tuesday.
Locus said she could not speak to why Quality Restaurants was closing its restaurants, however, she said Brinker, which operates several similar national chains, had no plans for closing multiple outlets regionally or nationwide. Brinker also owns four Romano's Macaroni Grill restaurants in Oregon.
Locus said that any outstanding Chili's gift certificates can be used at local Macaroni Grill locations.
-- Laura Gunderson,
lauragunderson@news.oregonian.com
So, a couple of weeks ago when loyal reader (and chum dating back to my days as a Madison Senator) Mak mentioned that she had gone to, and enjoyed, Wynn's Hotdogs (at 4th and Morrison), I took it as an invite to see if I liked them as well. Because we do accept reader ideas for places to try out. Hint hint.
And wasn't today a nice day to take a walk?
So, at 11:45 Gastro Boy and I walked down to 4th and Salmon, where we met JLowe. GastroBoy ended up heading over to Romano's Macaroni Grill (perhaps he'll write a review, since he's been slacking shamelessly) and JLowe and I forged on for weiners (cue the Beavis and Butthead laughs here).
As you walk up on the Wynn's cart, kitty-corner from Pioneer Place I and so close to Geraldi's sandwiches that I almost failed to stop, there's a sign advertising their 8-inch beef franks. That's a good start.
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