Downtown's Red Coach Restaurant Closes After 55 Years

Photo of Red Coach courtesy David R. via Foursquare

Downtown's longtime lunch counter/burger restaurant Red Coach Restaurant — which first opened as the Snack Bar back in 1958 — has closed. According to an announcement posted today on Facebook, the restaurant's final day was March 28, just two days before a "celebration of life" for manager Kim Durkheimer, who passed away on March 3. Kim Durkheimer was the daughter of Red Coach's original founders Bob and Jeanne Durkheimer, who retired in 2008, and had worked in the family business since 1978.

The announcement:

The Red Coach Restaurant served its last burgers on Sat. March 29th, 2014. Thank you to all of our longtime customers for your continued support over the years. I apologize that there was no warning or anything, but things happened that were beyond our control. Due to Kim's death the Restaurant can no longer be opened due to legal reasons.

The remaining Red Coach Staff/Family would like to wish everyone the best, and we hope that someday someone might be able to fill the burger shaped void that we have just left in your hearts. Thank you for everything, the Red Coach Family.

In its extended run, the Red Coach was known for its old-school burgers, krinkle-cut fries, and milkshakes. In her obituary, Kim Durkheimer's warmth as a hostess and proprietor emerges, described as: "charming all the little babies walking into the Red Coach Restaurant that she managed and operated for the past five years."
· Red Coach [Official site]
· All Previous Red Coach Coverage [Eater PDX]