Amazon invented a neighborhood to serve its Seattle headquarters, but the restaurants it lured there are failing (George: sales, leases)

[CrazyDonkey]

Restaurants in Seattle's Amazon neighborhood are failing - Business Insider

But for many of the neighborhood's new businesses, things haven't turned out exactly like they hoped. For one, they can't get customers in during non-work hours, at dinnertime and on weekends. "The worst thing is having an empty restaurant and then trying to keep your staff motivated and energized," local restaurateur and chef Josh Henderson told Marketplace.

Demand in the area is for "quick food, under fifteen bucks," restaurateur Josh Henderson told Marketplace. That means big business for lunch and happy hour Monday to Friday, but little else. Fast-casual places like Mamnoon Street have done well.

Dinner and weekend business remains weak. Cactus began offering a "late night" happy hour last year to drum up business. Owner Marc Chatalas told The Seattle Times the move has not been effective. "Simply, the neighborhood has not developed," he said.

But Amazon's lease agreements require restaurants to stay open late into the night. Some restaurants have tried to close early because they found they couldn't generate enough business at night to justify the cost of staying open.

Some former restaurant employees told The Seattle Times that Amazon security guards micromanage shops and track when they close. One restaurant owner likened Amazon to "Big Brother," a claim Amazon has pushed back on.

Part of the problem could be that the area is pretty soulless, not a great romantic destination, and missing that essential Seattle attribute, a view. Do you want to date where you work? The Amazon gender imbalance might also play a role - it takes two to tango. It also might be that the number of people living in SLU has yet to achieve the critical mass to support a full-fledged restaurant scene - that could change in the future.

[homesinseattle]

Tech people are way too busy to eat . Seriously though, Bite Squad is pretty damn attractive after a long day. We live in central Seattle. I know when we go out to a destination for dinner, it's usually a place like Pike/Pine, old town Ballard, Fremont, Phinney Ridge or Georgetown. I suspect with easy Lyft and Uber available, many of the people who live and work in SLU do the same. Who doesn't like to go to a place with good vibe and character when they are going out?

It's nice to have a good lunch business but dinner (and the drinks that often accompany it) are where the money is.

[GraceKrispy]

Interesting news blurb. I do some weekend work in a building on Virginia that also houses Amazon workers. It has several restaurants nearby, including Starbucks, and they are all closed on the weekends. The whole area is a dead zone on the days I work. Those nearby restaurants must not be part of this whole deal, because they sure aren't staying open on weekends.

[hellopity]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Restaurants in Seattle's Amazon neighborhood are failing - Business Insider

Part of the problem could be that the area is pretty soulless, not a great romantic destination, and missing that essential Seattle attribute, a view. Do you want to date where you work? The Amazon gender imbalance might also play a role - it takes two to tango. It also might be that the number of people living in SLU has yet to achieve the critical mass to support a full-fledged restaurant scene - that could change in the future.

How disappointing that Harrison Jacobs recycled photojournal material from his Jan 4 article in this Jan 6 piece.

His other article: Seattle's Amazonia neighborhood should make cities wary of Amazon HQ2 - Business Insider

I live in this neighborhood, I eat out 4-5 nights a week when I don’t order in, and I have tried all the restaurants that failed, including the three on Westlake across from Uptown Espresso. The fact that these tech workers go home after work is only part of the issue. The restaurants are not that good, the price point is off, and the concepts generally have little traction with their intended audience. Bar Noroeste was a neat idea but not for the tech crowd. You can’t blame the consumer and the neighborhood alone when the business model and the products themselves are off target. Takes two to tango, as you say.

And someone please tweet Harrison Jacobs to let him know West Elm is not a high-end furniture store. If he wanted to knock higher end retail, all he needed to do was swivel his camera and point it across the street. Ligne Roset is right there. I question his perspective if he really believes West Elm is high end...even the sales associates will tell you West Elm is not. #Peggygate

[Neerwhal]

Tech people don't network over food. Duh. (Edit: They do eat out, but it's not the same as when you're eating out and someone's comping the bill.)

They should rebrand as gaming houses and after-hours work spaces, or nap pods for people to go take a nap in.

Think of what the local population wants, not what you think a city should have.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Interesting news blurb. I do some weekend work in a building on Virginia that also houses Amazon workers. It has several restaurants nearby, including Starbucks, and they are all closed on the weekends. The whole area is a dead zone on the days I work. Those nearby restaurants must not be part of this whole deal, because they sure aren't staying open on weekends.

The businesses (apparently not just restaurants) mentioned have leases with Amazon that require they stay open evenings and weekends.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Tech people are way too busy to eat . Seriously though, Bite Squad is pretty damn attractive after a long day. We live in central Seattle. I know when we go out to a destination for dinner, it's usually a place like Pike/Pine, old town Ballard, Fremont, Phinney Ridge or Georgetown. I suspect with easy Lyft and Uber available, many of the people who live and work in SLU do the same. Who doesn't like to go to a place with good vibe and character when they are going out?

It's nice to have a good lunch business but dinner (and the drinks that often accompany it) are where the money is.

Lots of nearby dining destinations with established restaurants and bars. In addition to those you listed: Belltown, LQA, and Broadway. What's happening inside has a lot to do with what is happening outside, and vice versa. Right now, SLU is more a place where people work, rather than live, and I suspect most who live there also work there. Right now it is more of an embryonic or nascent neighborhood than a real one. Really more similar to the Downtown "business district", which is mostly empty at night.

The gender imbalance is also a factor - hard to have a late-night bar scene if you've got lots of picks, but no olives.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Restaurants in Seattle's Amazon neighborhood are failing - Business Insider

Part of the problem could be that the area is pretty soulless, not a great romantic destination, and missing that essential Seattle attribute, a view. Do you want to date where you work? The Amazon gender imbalance might also play a role - it takes two to tango. It also might be that the number of people living in SLU has yet to achieve the critical mass to support a full-fledged restaurant scene - that could change in the future

A view is not essential for restaurant success, that's ridiculous. There have been higher-end restaurants all over Seattle, that didn't have a view, and did just fine. Mainly, it's about the quality of the menu items.
If the area doesn't attract dinner customers, restaurant owners shouldn't remain open for dinner, that's a no-brainer. Anyone going into the area to open a restaurant should study this dynamic, and plan their business activity to cash in on the busy times. I can see how a breakfast-lunch business could work, possibly extended to happy hour. This doesn't have to be fast food.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

A view is not essential for restaurant success, that's ridiculous. There have been higher-end restaurants all over Seattle, that didn't have a view, and did just fine. Mainly, it's about the quality of the menu items.
If the area doesn't attract dinner customers, restaurant owners shouldn't remain open for dinner, that's a no-brainer. Anyone going into the area to open a restaurant should study this dynamic, and plan their business activity to cash in on the busy times. I can see how a breakfast-lunch business could work, possibly extended to happy hour. This doesn't have to be fast food.

The neighborhood, in general, lacks views, unless you're right on Lake Union, which impacts its residential desirability. This was also a criticism leveled at the old Commons initiative. Planned taller residential towers will fix some of that, but, being hedged in by hills, they're not likely to have the sweeping vistas that are available in many other parts of town.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

The neighborhood, in general, lacks views, unless you're right on Lake Union, which impacts its residential desirability. This was also a criticism leveled at the old Commons initiative. Planned taller residential towers will fix some of that, but, being hedged in by hills, they're not likely to have the sweeping vistas that are available in many other parts of town.

So, it sounds like it may become something like San Fran's FiDi: a district mainly for business, no views (except from the 10th floor), but it still has dynamite restaurants that people flock to. Some are breakfast/lunch places, others stay open for cocktails, there have always been a few that were open for dinner, and did quite well. People would even drive across the Bay to go to those for dinner, they were so good. I see no reason why Seattle's SLU couldn't accomplish that, except for the fact that Seattle's never been known for fine dining, unlike SF.