Tom Douglas Restaurants closing, affecting 800; Canlis tries something different

Seattle restaurants are reeling after Tom Douglas announced he’s temporarily shutting 12 of his 13 restaurants.

Seattle restaurateur gave Tom Douglas five days' notice about the temporary closure. It's not ideal, he said, but the other option would be to have them continue working, without being able to pay them.

“We’ve been crying together all day. Lots of hugs, lots of apologies, said Douglas. "We’re talking about people—my friends. Some of them have been working here 30 years.”

The closure affects 800 employees. Douglas says restaurants like his located in the downtown core rely on tourists and people going to theater and large events. But with big gatherings cancelled, it’s hard to sustain business.

From neighborhood coffee shops to fine dining restaurants, no one is immune to the current economic slump. Still, many restaurants are trying to avoid closure and finding ways to adapt.

Heriberto Magdaleno owns and runs Café Quilombo on Beacon Hill. He’s had to scale back his business hours.

"Today I open an hour late and probably close two hours early…because there are no customers around.”

Other businesses are taking a different approach.

Next week Canlis will close its fine dining restaurant, replacing it with three drive-through businesses-- in their parking lot. They’ll be serving bagels, burger, and family meal delivery.

Owner Mark Canlis says it seems like a crazy idea, but his staff is game.

“The word social distancing flies in the face of hospitality which is this invitation in," he said. "And you know what, maybe we can’t do it in the same way, but it doesn’t mean we can’t do it.”

Canlis says they have the location and a capable team to make it happen. Plus, people still got to eat.