Thanks to a CHS reader for the picture
The end of summer can be a chaotic time for small businesses with planned summer breaks to rest and recharge colliding with staffing challenges. Here are three recent food and drink closures on Capitol Hill with stories that will stretch beyond summer. Have a question about a “summer break” at your favorite neighborhood business? Let us know in comments and we can check into it.
- Cherry Street Coffee: Reported issues over staffing and work conditions at the Seattle coffee chain have spilled over with a “temporarily closed” sign up at the company’s E Pine Capitol Hill location. We’ve reached out to the company to learn more but have not been able to connect with ownership. A thread posted to Reddit earlier this month lays out some reported issues with owner Ali Ghambari. Cherry Street expanded onto E Pine in 2014 after first coming to this part of the city on 12th Ave two years earlier. Efrem Fesaha and the “Mother Africa’s finest coffees” of Boona Boona now call that 12th Ave cafe home. Cherry Street hasn’t announced the E Pine temporary closure publicly so there aren’t any details about when they might be planning to reopen. We have also reached out to try to find out more about the reported labor issues but have not yet heard back. Cherry Street did not appear in a check of recently resolved investigations from the city’s Office of Labor Standards.
- Local Bigger Burger: Why was the Broadway burger joint only accepting payment by Venmo? The bizarre payment setup was short-lived as the location is also now listed as “temporarily closed.” CHS reached out for details and a representative for ownership asked for discretion, saying they turned to Venmo as they were selling the restaurant “and instead of going dark during the transition, we have elected to continue to serve guests.” With the restaurant closed, we’re letting readers know what’s up. Debuting in late 2020 in a former burger chain space, Local Bigger Burger looked at the time like it might be the first in a chain of its own. But the business never took off and it has been part of a challenged group of investments by its ownership in restaurants and cafes across the city that have left a small trail of court proceedings and judgments in its wake. Last December, the parent company behind Local Bigger Burger, Alki Beach Cafe, and South Lake Union’s Local Coffee Spot was hit with a $40,972 default judgment over unpaid rent at the Broadway location. The company has two other cases pending litigation including a tangle with supplier Sysco over unpaid services. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the city issued a determination of a violation against Local Coffee Spot for violations under the Wage Theft Ordinance. The company was dinged $2,552.24 owed to the affected employee and $1,829.58 to the City of Seattle over the transgression, according to city records. State records show that Local Bigger Burger will live on with a new owner set up to take over the business and its sole Broadway location.
- Nékter Juice Bar: Just as it seemed the mix of small businesses in the sprawling development above Capitol Hill Station finally had a toehold, one of the first small ventures to open above the transit station is going kaput. CHS reported here on the plans for the juice bar from franchisee Christina Miller as her small business led the way in the extremely slow start for Capitol Hill Station retail caused by pandemic delays and development red tape. One of the last pieces to complete the retail puzzle all-day cafe Seasmith finally opened to begin this summer.” But now as the puzzle was finally more complete, Nékter’s hole will need to be filled.
- Don’t panic — this is good news about Carmelo’s: On the other end of the spectrum is a coming soon (finally!) Broadway opening. Yes, the signs have finally gone up for the new Carmelo’s Tacos on Broadway across from Capitol Hill Station. CHS reported here to start the year on the plan for the Summit Ave-born taco provider to expand into the former Broadway/Denny Starbucks location. Watch for the new Carmelo’s opening… soon.
Good things take time https://t.co/hfJzXa2U12 https://t.co/G2hmFw0z8M
— jseattle (@jseattle) August 22, 2024
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Funny how Carmelo’s comes and then they add a steal fence to the building. Meanwhile many of these small shops and businesses are being sued for wage and money theft but somehow people just had to have Starbucks out of the area. At least they didn’t steal wages and paid for people to go to college…9
I hate to break it to you, but that corner has had that fence for awhile now.
This is correct. The hill loves to bash starbucks but they offered really good health benefits compared to many other employers in the area.
Funny how your mind twisted “closing shops in retaliation for unionization efforts” into “somehow people just had to have Starbucks out of the area.”
Like wage theft, union busting is also illegal – but Starbucks has better lawyers and more money than the small shops, so they get away with it.
The steel gate was installed shortly after Starbucks closed. Carmelo’s has nothing to do with it.
Right? I was going to Cherry til I learned about the issues and now it’s closed. At least Ghost Note is around the corner.
What steel fence?)) That fence was there, when Starbucks left, since there were homeless people, constantly sitting there and trashing around.
Starbucks university only offered hospitality degrees or something. And I think you could only go to phoenix university or something. It was not what you think.
If you think Arizona State University is the same as University of Phoenix then you really need to educate yourself.
Starbucks over works, underpays and is the reason why Seattle employees must have a schedule 2 week out.
They took advantage the coffee farmers all the way to cafe workers. Only corporate employees and district managers love their Starbucks. And for a long time those jobs were populated by white gay men and women. And so what if it’s Arizona state. The schooling and tuition reimbursement program is nothing more than a scam. Just like
Most capitalistic endeavors.
Starbucks. Permanent employment for white gay men. Who knew?
Also it’s funny when it’s like “don’t go to that corporate chain bro, keep it local, but don’t go there or there or there or there”
Nearly every time I walked by Nectar there was the same homeless guy chillin inside.
Here’s hoping something actually good goes into the Local Bigger Burger. Blue Moon was bad, LBB was just as horrible. Restaurant people – something with a quicker service diner feel, good basic classic diner food, simple and done well blue plate specials (tuna casserole, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, pot roast, fried spam and grilled cheese with crinkle fries and a side of 4 grapes that may not get eaten.) and costs that don’t leave a burning pit in your stomach. Before I hear Lost Lake, the food (imo) just isn’t very good. ..Glo’s leaves me with sticker shock for breakfast.
Let us know when you’re opening SoDone Diner… Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out
Sounds like Matt’s bubble tea and ramen shop won’t last many months after the opening, even with the Union based workers and exceptionally friendly customer service they provide with 30% tips.
I’m not the only one that has eyes roll back when they see ‘yet another…’ insert trendy same place that won’t last more than a few months/years because what they are providing is repetitive, bad, and boring.
Blue Moon was garbage. LBB was garbage, hope new owners actually make burgers worth a visit – or better yet, expand to other items some people might be looking for.
The Bank of America at Minor and Madison is going to close in January also. So much empty building blight in the city.
Here’s hoping the new owners of Local Bigger Burger know something about customer service.
Gee I wonder why local bigger burger never took off… I’m sure it had nothing to do with the outrageous prices (literally doubled that of the former occupant blue moon burgers) + obnoxious marketing.
It was so weird how they named the place to “shame” a Portland-based chain that basically failed here in Seattle (Little Big Burger). No one cares where the ownership lives if the burgers are awesome….just make awesome burgers.
Do the LBB people also own the Belltown location of Local Coffee Spot? I’ve been there a few times and each time they managed to fuck up my food in spectacularly different ways.. I learned my lesson after they put two handfuls of basil and cream cheese on what was supposed to be a plain bagel. Uh, anyways. Fuck yeah Carmelo’s!!!!