SEATTLE — In Seattle’s Northlake neighborhood a warm tavern is a welcome escape from pouring rain. The booths of the Northlake Tavern and Pizza House are crowded like they’ve been for nearly 65 years.
“There’s a lot of people that have been coming here a really, really long time I’m talking like generations," said owner’s assistant Jessica Scott. “Right now’s the time that everyone is getting together, and they are reminiscing,” she continued.
Among the crowd you’ll find Rank Beaty, a long time regular who, in the late 60s, played basketball at the University of Washington. He’s logged many beers and slices at Northlake Tavern.
“We’ve all been coming down here when we were in college and stuff forever, 50 years,” Beaty said.
Loyal customers who just this week learned the bar that has survived recessions and pandemics will close for good.
“It is, it was kind of like a shock factor. And you know we’re super busy which is excellent so it’s like, ‘Oh my God,’” Scott said.
The problem with being a popular restaurant that wants to shut down is that everybody wants to show up for that last meal. Monday, staff were barely keeping up as news spread that the owner – a man who simply goes by Abdullah is closing up shop.
“The thing is that if it was up to my owner that we work for, we’d be open for another 15 years,” Scott said.
Abdullah has only owned the shop for the last six years, though he’s worked there for 45 – starting as a cook while he was a college student.
In a letter written to customers and posted on social media, Abdullah says that “current health issues” have taken his focus away from the business and onto retirement adding that his “heart and soul will always be with the Northlake Tavern.”
“Being our age and stuff now, yeah – when these iconic places go, leave, it kind of affects you emotionally to some sort – but it is what it is – that’s life,” Rank Beaty said.
But it’s not the end just yet – there’s still three more weeks and the staff say they’ll be here until the very end.
While the name will change, the business has reportedly been bought out by another local pizza shop, Big Mario’s. Staff say they’ve been offered the opportunity to stay on board for the next chapter.