VIP's
VIP's was an Oregon-based chain of freeway-oriented, 24-hour coffee-shop-style restaurants that operated across the western United States from 1968 until the late 1980s.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
VIP's was a regional American restaurant chain founded in Oregon in 1968 by Keith Andler and Robert Smith. The business operated in a format that was commonly described at the time as a coffee shop and is now generally associated with casual dining: broad menus, counter or table service, all-day meals, and long operating hours. Many of its restaurants were open around the clock and were positioned near interstate highways, making them convenient stops for motorists and travelers. The first VIP's opened in Tualatin, Oregon, beside an Interstate 5 interchange. A second location opened in Salem during the same year, but its weaker performance helped shape the chain's subsequent real-estate strategy. Management concluded that freeway-adjacent sites produced better traffic and profitability, and later expansion emphasized interstate corridors and other high-visibility travel locations. By 1969, the company was moving beyond Oregon, including the construction of two restaurants in Seattle. By the end of 1971, the chain had reached 15 restaurants. VIP's expanded through the 1970s and early 1980s into Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and northern California. At its high point, the company operated 53 restaurants under the VIP's name, making it the largest restaurant chain based in Oregon at that time. The company also experimented with adjacent concepts. By 1982 it had opened four Mexican restaurants under names such as La Casa Real and Tortilla Machine, giving the broader business 57 restaurants in total. The company reported more than $41 million in gross sales for 1981; this figure relates to that period and is not a current financial measure. The chain's independent scale began to contract in 1982. VIP's sold 35 of its 53 branded restaurants to Denny's Inc. for approximately $12 million. The transaction covered 19 Washington locations and 16 restaurants in Oregon and northern California. According to contemporaneous reporting summarized in the reference material, the sellers considered Denny's employment assurances significant: employees at the acquired restaurants were expected to retain their jobs and transfer to Denny's. In 1984, VIP's sold a further 16 restaurants to JB's Restaurants of Salt Lake City, including eight in Oregon and eight in Washington. That transaction left the company with nine VIP's restaurants. By 1989, the remaining VIP's restaurants had been sold, ending the chain's operation under its original restaurant identity. The corporate enterprise continued under the name VIP's Industries Inc. and shifted attention toward hotels and a smaller Tex-Mex restaurant portfolio. Its La Casa Real restaurants were concentrated around the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area, with additional locations in Fife, Washington, and Salem. The six-unit La Casa Real chain was sold to Chevy's in December 1994. VIP's Industries also developed Phoenix Inn, a hotel business aimed at business travelers. Phoenix Inn later became Phoenix Inn Suites and expanded to 13 hotels in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona before being sold in 2006 to a joint venture whose owners planned to continue operating the hotels under the Phoenix Inn Suites name. VIP's is therefore best understood as a defunct regional restaurant brand rather than the separate Mexican restaurant brand with a similar name. Its historical importance rests on its scale in Oregon, its freeway-based site strategy, its 24-hour coffee-shop format, and its transition from a restaurant chain into a diversified hospitality company.
History
VIP's began in 1968 when Keith Andler and Robert Smith opened the first restaurant in Tualatin, Oregon, near an Interstate 5 interchange. A second unit opened in Salem the same year. The Salem location performed less well than the freeway-side Tualatin restaurant, encouraging the owners to make highway access and traveler visibility central to the chain's development model. Expansion began outside Oregon by 1969, when two restaurants were being built in Seattle. By late 1971, VIP's had grown to 15 locations. During the following decade, it developed a recognizable western regional presence in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and northern California. The restaurants followed the period's coffee-shop model, offering broad American menus and, in many cases, 24-hour service. Their locations near interstate routes made them particularly suited to motorists, commercial travelers, and customers seeking meals outside conventional dining hours. The company reached its largest reported scale in the early 1980s. In 1982, it operated 53 VIP's restaurants and had added four Mexican restaurants under different names, including La Casa Real and Tortilla Machine. The combined business comprised 57 restaurants and generated more than $41 million in gross sales in 1981, according to the historical reference cited for the chain. At that stage, VIP's was described as the largest restaurant chain headquartered in Oregon. The business then entered a period of significant divestment. In 1982, VIP's sold 35 of its 53 branded restaurants to Denny's Inc. for around $12 million. The restaurants included 19 locations in Washington and 16 in Oregon and northern California. The transaction was attractive to VIP's owners partly because Denny's committed to retaining employees at the acquired restaurants. In 1984, another 16 VIP's locations were sold to JB's Restaurants, an operator based in Salt Lake City. Eight of those restaurants were in Oregon and eight were in Washington, leaving VIP's with only nine locations. By 1989, all remaining VIP's restaurants had been sold, ending the original chain's presence as an operating restaurant network. The company did not disappear immediately, however. It became VIP's Industries Inc. and retained selected hospitality assets, including Tex-Mex restaurants and a hotel subsidiary. La Casa Real restaurants were concentrated in the Portland–Vancouver area, with additional restaurants in Fife, Washington, and Salem. In December 1994, the six-unit La Casa Real chain was sold to Chevy's. VIP's Industries also created Phoenix Inn, a hotel business directed toward business travelers. The subsidiary, based in Wilsonville, Oregon, operated properties in the Portland metropolitan area, including Vancouver, Washington. Phoenix Inn later used the Phoenix Inn Suites name and expanded to 13 hotels across Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. In 2006, VIP's sold the hotel chain to a joint venture that planned to continue operating it under the Phoenix Inn Suites brand. The history of VIP's illustrates the consolidation of regional American restaurant chains during the 1980s. Its original identity was built around interstate locations, all-day dining, and extended hours, while its later corporate history moved toward asset sales, Mexican restaurant concepts, and lodging. The VIP's restaurant brand itself is defunct, and the available historical material does not establish a current standalone operating business under that name.
- 2006
Phoenix Inn hotel chain sold
[1]The expanded Phoenix Inn hotel business was sold to a joint venture planning to retain the Phoenix Inn Suites name.
- 1994
La Casa Real sold to Chevy's
[1]VIP's Industries sold its six La Casa Real restaurants to Chevy's.
- 1989
VIP's restaurant chain is fully sold
[1]The last VIP's restaurants had been sold, while the corporate business continued under the VIP's Industries name.
- 1984
Further locations sold to JB's Restaurants
[1]Sixteen VIP's restaurants were sold to JB's Restaurants, reducing the chain to nine locations.
- 1982
Major restaurant divestment to Denny's
[1]VIP's sold 35 branded restaurants to Denny's Inc. for approximately $12 million.
- 1981
Historical gross sales exceed $41 million
[1]The combined 57-restaurant business reported more than $41 million in gross sales for 1981.
- 1971
Chain reaches 15 restaurants
[1]By late 1971, VIP's had grown to 15 restaurants.
- 1969
Expansion reaches Seattle
[1]Two VIP's restaurants were under construction in Seattle as the company expanded beyond Oregon.
- 1968
First VIP's restaurant opens in Tualatin
[1]Keith Andler and Robert Smith opened the first VIP's restaurant in Tualatin, Oregon, beside an Interstate 5 interchange.
- 1968
Second restaurant opens in Salem
[1]A second location opened in Salem, Oregon. Its weaker performance helped establish the company's later preference for freeway-adjacent sites.
Products and positioning
A convenient, value-oriented, freeway-adjacent American coffee-shop and casual-dining chain serving travelers and local customers, with extended or 24-hour operating hours.
American casual dining · 1968
VIP's restaurants
The core VIP's format was a coffee-shop-style American restaurant with a broad, all-day menu. Locations commonly operated 24 hours and emphasized convenience, accessibility, and highway visibility. The concept served local diners as well as travelers and was comparable to the large casual restaurant chains that operated across the United States during the period.
Mexican restaurant
La Casa Real
La Casa Real was one of the Mexican restaurant concepts developed by the broader VIP's business rather than a standard VIP's-branded unit. The chain was concentrated mainly in the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area, with additional locations in Fife, Washington, and Salem. Its six restaurants were sold to Chevy's in 1994.
Mexican restaurant
Tortilla Machine
Tortilla Machine was another Mexican restaurant name used by the company during its period of diversification. The available reference identifies it as one of the separately named Mexican concepts operated alongside the VIP's restaurants but does not provide a complete account of its locations or later ownership.
Hotel
Phoenix Inn Suites
Phoenix Inn began as a VIP's Industries hotel subsidiary aimed at business travelers. It operated in the Portland area and later expanded across Oregon, Washington, and Arizona to 13 properties. The business was sold in 2006 to a joint venture that intended to continue using the Phoenix Inn Suites name.
Brand decisions
2006
Sell Phoenix Inn hotel chainM&ABackground
The Phoenix Inn subsidiary had expanded from a Portland-area hotel operation into a 13-property chain in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.
Action taken
VIP's sold the hotel business to a joint venture.
Aftermath
The buyers planned to continue operating the properties under the Phoenix Inn Suites name.
1994
Sell La Casa Real to Chevy'sM&ABackground
VIP's Industries retained a six-unit La Casa Real Mexican restaurant chain after exiting the main VIP's format.
Action taken
The company sold all six La Casa Real restaurants to Chevy's in December 1994.
Aftermath
Chevy's obtained the chain as it expanded in the Portland metropolitan area.
- Chevy's — Chevy's acquired the six La Casa Real restaurants during its Portland-area expansion.
1989
Shift from restaurant chain to diversified hospitality companyStrategyBackground
The remaining VIP's restaurants had been sold by 1989.
Action taken
The company continued under the VIP's Industries Inc. name and focused on separately branded Tex-Mex restaurants and hotel operations.
Aftermath
The VIP's name ceased to represent an operating restaurant network, while Phoenix Inn and La Casa Real became the more significant identifiable businesses.
1984
Sell 16 restaurants to JB's RestaurantsM&ABackground
After the Denny's transaction, VIP's continued to reduce its branded restaurant portfolio.
Action taken
VIP's sold 16 restaurants, including eight in Oregon and eight in Washington, to JB's Restaurants of Salt Lake City.
Aftermath
Only nine VIP's restaurants remained, accelerating the end of the original chain.
- JB's Restaurants — JB's Restaurants acquired the 16 locations.
1982
Sell 35 VIP's restaurants to Denny'sM&ABackground
VIP's was operating 53 branded restaurants and had reached its largest reported scale, but its owners received an offer from Denny's Inc. that they considered highly attractive.
Action taken
The company sold 35 restaurants, comprising 19 in Washington and 16 in Oregon and northern California, for approximately $12 million.
Aftermath
Denny's absorbed the affected employees, and VIP's retained a smaller restaurant base and other hospitality interests.
Transaction value. $12 million approximately (1982 transaction)
- Denny's Inc. — Denny's acquired the 35 restaurants and committed to retaining employees at the affected locations.
1968
Prioritize freeway-adjacent locationsStrategyBackground
The first Tualatin restaurant, located near an Interstate 5 interchange, performed better than the second restaurant in Salem, which was not near a freeway.
Action taken
The owners made interstate and freeway proximity a central criterion for subsequent restaurant development.
Aftermath
The strategy supported expansion across western states and became a defining feature of the VIP's operating model.
Recent events
- 2006
Phoenix Inn hotel business sold[1]
M&A
VIP's sold the Phoenix Inn hotel chain, which had grown to 13 properties in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona, to a joint venture intending to retain the Phoenix Inn Suites operating name.
- 1994
La Casa Real chain sold to Chevy's[1]
M&A
VIP's Industries sold its six-restaurant La Casa Real chain to Chevy's as Chevy's expanded in the Portland metropolitan area.
- 1989
VIP's restaurant chain exits its original operating identity[1]
Other
By 1989, the remaining VIP's restaurants had been sold. The corporate business continued as VIP's Industries Inc. with hospitality and separately branded restaurant interests.
- 1984
VIP's sells 16 restaurants to JB's Restaurants[1]
M&A
The company sold 16 additional VIP's restaurants to JB's Restaurants of Salt Lake City, leaving nine restaurants under the VIP's name.
- 1982
VIP's sells 35 restaurants to Denny's[1]
M&A
VIP's sold 35 of its 53 branded restaurants to Denny's Inc. for approximately $12 million. The deal covered restaurants in Washington, Oregon, and northern California and included employment continuity assurances for affected staff.
Sources1 sources
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