Canlis: Fine Dining Is Not What Seattle Needs Right Now
The Seattle culinary institution will close its restaurant and open three new offerings in its place starting next week
By Bill Conroy March 12, 2020
The spirit of Seattle is shining through in the new normal of the coronavirus outbreak at Canlis, one of the citys most iconic fine-dining establishments. Canlis has just announced that starting Monday, March 16, it will close its restaurant and unveil three new dining services in its place.
The Seattle restaurant, offering waterfront views of Lake Union, is run by brothers Mark and Brian Canlis, who say their business has been in a relationship with the city since their grandfather, Peter, opened it in 1950. And that relationship calls for meeting Seattleites where they’re at during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Were shutting down our dining room and bringing the food out to you, says a notice signed by The Canlis Family and posted on the restaurants website. Fine dining is not what Seattle needs right now. Instead, this is one idea for safely creating jobs for our employees while serving as much of our city as we can.
Canlis says it will launch drive-on-thru lunch and dinner service starting next Monday, March 16, featuring burgers, veggie melts, a Canlis salad and ice cream sandwiches. The service will operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Starting next Tuesday, March 17, Canlis will unveil a bagel shed at the restaurant that will feature bagels, spreads, breakfast sandwiches and coffee. The bagel shed will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
And, beginning next Wednesday, March 18, Canlis will begin offering a family-meal delivery service featuring a home-cooked dinner and a bottle of wine delivered directly to your doorstep with menu changes daily. That service will be available Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Canlis website.
Heres the thing about restaurants, Mark Canlis said in a prior interview with Seattle Business. This is our city. In a lot of ways, were married to her. Its something weve had to nurture and cultivate.
Canlis was named the Legacy Award winner as part of the 2019 Seattle Business Family Business Awards.