Sumo Sushi & Grill is preparing an all-you-can-eat restaurant at the former Shari’s in Eugene, Oregon’s Santa Clara neighborhood. A current shopping-center tenant plan names Sumo in the Division Avenue space, and the operator is accepting applications for Eugene.
The September 10 leasing material for Santa Clara Square lists Sumo Sushi in the 3,906-square-foot restaurant at 35 Division Avenue. Historical Shari’s listings identify the same address, putting the project in a familiar former diner.
Sumo’s official recruiting form includes Eugene among its locations. The restaurant has not announced a first-service date, local prices or operating hours.
The planned format gives the old Shari’s a different dining assignment. Sumo’s established restaurants offer made-to-order AYCE sushi and Japanese grill dishes, with sashimi, hand rolls, teppanyaki and soup noodles among the brand’s categories.
Its master menu lists pork gyoza, chicken karaage, shrimp tempura, ramen and udon alongside the sushi. The broader lineup gives diners who skip sushi plenty of cooked dishes to choose from.
Sumo explicitly notes that menus vary by location. Eugene’s eventual selection will need its own announcement, particularly for diners watching the sashimi and hand-roll offerings.
Another former Shari’s on the Sumo map
The Eugene project fits a larger pattern for the Pacific Northwest operator, which has been putting former Shari’s buildings back into restaurant service across Oregon and Washington.
Sumo announced an October 6 opening for its Salem restaurant at 1270 Lancaster Drive Southeast, another former Shari’s. Its current location information also includes restaurants in Oregon City and Portland, along with several Washington communities.
The chain has made changes within that growing group, too. Its Kirkland restaurant moved from an opening format of individually priced dishes to AYCE dining, a change Buffet Authority covered earlier this month.
Eugene’s next announcement should put a date and local menu to the project. For now, the Division Avenue address has a named incoming restaurant and a place on Sumo’s hiring form, giving Santa Clara sushi regulars something concrete to watch.
