Iconic Ivar's Plans to Close Acres of Clams and Salmon House Until Spring 2021

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The iconic Pacific Northwest seafood franchise Ivar’s will close its long-standing restaurants Acres of Clams and Salmon House on September 28, and doesn’t plan to open either back up until at least next spring.

In a statement provided to Eater Seattle, the company cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the closures, since both full-service restaurants are in tourist-heavy neighborhoods: Acres of Clams sits on Pier 54 downtown, and Salmon House is right by Lake Union in Northlake.

Ivar’s tried to make adjustments for both restaurants during the pandemic to stay afloat. The company reduced expenses, offered expanded delivery services, and introduced new menu items, including a full slate of barbecue offerings. But the efforts weren’t enough, and Acres of Clams and Salmon House have not come close to breaking even this year sales-wise, the company said.

“Without cruise passengers, conventions, tourists, banquets, Sounders, Seahawks, and Mariner fans, and workers in the downtown offices, there are few people eating in our full service restaurants,” said owner Bob Donegan. “We fear when the weather changes and the rains return, we lose outside dining and we won’t have any customers.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/iconic-ivar-s-plans-to-close-acres-of-clams-and-salmon-house-until-spring-2021/ar-BB19ouXy?ocid=hplocalnews

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. Had dinner there in October 2018.

The day beghore we boarded the ship to sail to Australia. Had their Calamari wirh a delicious salad.

[LisaM]

2. Wow, they've been in Seattle forever.

The downtown restaurant had struggled with the $15 an hour wage, not through any fault of their own- they'd raised employee wages and had a no tipping policy, and I'm sorry to report that - although it shouldn't have - it had a terrible impact on customer service. The wait staff had become outright bizarre, and I'm not the only person who had this experience. They'd do things like sit at the table and discuss the food (for example, my mother didn't want sauce on her crab cakes, and the waiter sat down next to her and earnestly 'explained' that it was just a dab of sauce, and then when they got there, they were swimming in sauce), and my sister and I each ordered burgers, she wanted a plain burger, nothing on it, and I just didn't want bacon, and it took them three tries each to fulfill these simple requests, and they never got either of them right.

All this is to say, I loved Ivar's, but they already weren't what they'd been, when the service was impeccable and it was a real treat to go there. They had other problems. - the airport wouldn't renew their lease, despite public outcry, in favor of some other, less iconic local places, and the city screwed them with a never-ending seawall project in front of their downtown location.

I dearly hope they make it through the pandemic, though. If I had a say where my tax dollars went, saving businesses like this would be near the top of the list.