Several Ore. Chili's restaurants abruptly close

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Hundreds of restaurant workers started looking for new jobs Tuesday after national restaurant chain "Chili's" closed several of its Portland-area restaurants.

At the Beaverton location, the parking lot sat empty Tuesday except for former employees showing up for work and discovering they were out of a job.

A sign on the front door said the restaurant was "closed for repairs," but that is not true, according to managers and the corporate office.

The Hillsboro location also closed; The Lake Oswego and Wilsonville restaurants may be shut down after Tuesday night.

Workers were stunned.

"I was on the schedule for this morning, and I walked up and (the manager) was here and said, 'Nope, they're closed,' " said Jimbo Purcell, a cook.

The Clackamas and Eugene locations will stay open and be run by the corporate office.

A manager predicted the closings will cost 300 Oregonians their jobs.