McMenamins temporarily closes all locations, lays off 3,000 employees

PORTLAND, Ore. -- McMenamins, the beloved, family-owned chain of hotels, bars and entertainment venues, is closing all of its locations amid the coronavirus crisis.

McMenamins has dozens of pubs, hotels and live music hubs around Oregon and Washington, but only one will remain open: the 23rd Ave. Bottle Shop in Portland.

"This is something none of us ever could have anticipated," the owners said. "After exploring all options, we are laying off nearly 3,000 employees – almost everyone at the company ... 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.”

Gov. Jay Inslee imposed strict new rules this week to help slow the spread of COVID-19. He mandated an immediate two-week closure of all restaurants, bars and recreational facilities. The order doesn’t apply to grocery stores and pharmacies and restaurants can continue take-out and delivery services.

In Oregon, those same closures are in effect for at least a month.

Washington state has expanded unemployment benefits to affected workers. You can learn more about those here.