Sumo Sushi & Grill has announced October 6 as the opening date for its Salem, Oregon, restaurant, advancing the former Shari’s building on Lancaster Drive from a redevelopment project to an opening-day announcement.
The company’s official Salem page names the date explicitly. This is the operator’s opening announcement; independent confirmation of first service was still pending when this story was prepared.
The restaurant is at 1270 Lancaster Drive SE, near Lancaster Marketplace. Salem Business Journal reported in July that Sumo was preparing the former Shari’s Café & Pies building, a 4,319-square-foot property with 30 parking spaces. At the time, business registration and hiring activity helped establish that the new restaurant was taking shape.
Shari’s Oregon closures in October 2024 provide the backdrop. The Lancaster property is now headed into a very different dining assignment: made-to-order all-you-can-eat service, with sushi and grill dishes replacing the old diner identity.
Across its business, Sumo describes an AYCE menu that includes sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, teppanyaki, soup noodles and appetizers. It is an order-and-reorder model rather than a conventional walk-up buffet. For a diner who wants variety without committing to one full entrée, that difference is most of the attraction.
Sumo’s broader Pacific Northwest lineup includes restaurants in Oregon City and Portland as well as Washington locations. Salem adds another Oregon address to follow, with a local menu and schedule still needed to complete the picture.
Salem has been added to the price navigation on Sumo’s website, although the specific local rates and operating hours were not verified for this story. Diners should consult the Salem page and confirm those details before a special trip, rather than borrowing prices from another Sumo location.
For people who have watched the old Shari’s site, the important change is finally a date attached to the next occupant. A building once associated with café-and-pie service is getting an AYCE chapter. The repeat visits will now include repeat orders.
