On March 17, 2020, Bijou Cafe, one of Portland’s oldest breakfast restaurants, celebrated its 42nd birthday by announcing it would close for “at least four weeks, or however long this will take to get through,” promising to return.

In the weeks that followed, Bijou Cafe staff donated 1,500 eggs to Blanchet House, painted its freshly boarded-up windows with colorful flowers and a “Black Lives Matter” slogan then briefly reopened in the spring with a new takeout menu and brunch boxes for Father’s Day.

But it was not to last. On July 13, 2020, Bijou closed temporarily and never reopened. When the pandemic arrived, Bijou Cafe owner Kathleen Hagberg, 74, was already contemplating retirement.

Despite the rough end, Bijou had an enviable run. The restaurant, which Hagberg opened with friend Bonnie Allen in 1978, sought out organic ingredients before they were readily available, with staff sometimes driving to a Eugene co-op to pick up produce.

As recently as 2019, Bijou Cafe was still one of Portland’s best brunch spots.