Photo Taken By Cecelia Lipman
Burce Dean and Bob Manley founded Black Bear Diner in 1995. They opened the first location in Mount Shasta, California. The restaurant was created as a family-style diner and quickly grew popular. This led to a second location in Redding, California, and the establishment of a franchise model in 2002 to facilitate expansion. Despite being founded in California, Black Bear Diner has 10 locations in Oregon. They opened their 11th in a vacant Shari’s Pie building in South Salem.
History of Shari’s Pie
Known for their pies, Shari’s Pie began in 1978 in Hermiston, Oregon by Ron and Sharon (Shari) Bergquiest. The company grew rapidly and became the largest family-style chain in the Pacific Northwest. They achieved significant national recognition for its pies. However, after changing ownership multiple times, the chain faced insurmountable financial challenges in the early 2020s. By October 2024, all locations shut down and left multiple buildings empty.
The Shari’s location in South Salem was open for 40 years but closed due to financial challenges. This went along with the rest of the Shari’s buildings. Black Bear Diner filed for renovations to the site in the hopes of adding a new restaurant to Salem. The Black Bear Diner opened on October 21st, 2025. They held a grand opening for customers, welcoming them in at 6:00 AM. The restaurant has been greatly perceived by the Salem community. South Salem student Kassidy Kalb ‘27 has recently visited the new location.
Thoughts on Black Bear Diner
“I went over the weekend with my grandma. I got the Mini Volcano, which contains two pancakes, one link of sausage, one slice of thick-cut smoked bacon and one egg. It was really good! My grandma got the biscuits and gravy and she said it was the best she had gotten from a restaurant,” Kalb said.
Cece Lipman ‘27 has fond memories of the original Black Bear Diner located in Mt.Shasta, California.
“I remember going there when my family and I moved from San Jose, California, to Salem, Oregon. I remember feeling melancholy about moving and leaving my friends, but the grilled cheese from Black Bear Diner cheered me up immediately,” Lipman said.
The new location is now open at 5005 Commercial St SE.
