Long-time downtown Bend restaurant 900 Wall closes suddenly
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Another long-time staple of Bend’s dining scene closed down abruptly on Monday, as 900 Wall, a popular spot that opened downtown 16 years ago, closed its doors and apparently informed its employees of the sudden closure the very same day.
KTVZ News had reached out earlier Monday afternoon after an email from an employee said the restaurant had “just closed. … Just got the message from the other 30 minutes ago.” But the phone call and email brought no reply, nor did a visit.
A few hours later, the official word came in a Facebook announcement, accompanied by a photo of … a brick wall:
“We served our last order of fried green beans Sunday evening,” the owners wrote. “We did all we could to continue to provide a living for employees, a sense of community for our guests and a platform for all of the local farmers and producers we’ve worked with for the past 17 years.”
“We are not alone in our struggle this winter and spring, so if you value locally owned restaurants, now is the time to support the wonderful community we have grown with here. We’re grateful we had the opportunity to be a part of so many memories in our community.
And the comments from surprised fans came fast:
Dozens quickly weighed in on Reddit’s Bend subreddit, with opinions (as always) all over the map, other than that the place always seemed very busy at its prominent location at the corner of NW Wall Street and Minnesota Avenue.
“RIP to the best happy hour in town,” said one, while another called the food “unfortunately pretty forgettable.”
Others wondered if the upswing in food cart popularity is why sit-down restaurants – not just the so-called “fast casual” of now-closed Shari’s and the like – are struggling.