Local Support Grows While Restaurant Arsonist Still At Large

It’s amazing to think that someone would intentionally set businesses ablaze, especially now. With restauranteurs feeling the pain of this economic position, the last thing they want to worry about is somebody out there during the night that is intentionally destroying their livelihood. There have been 14 intentionally set fires in the Seattle area since June, and this has a lot of business owners losing sleep at night…some of whom are even contemplating sleeping in their restaurants to avoid a catastrophe.

Seattle has always been a very focused and close knit community, especially when it comes to the neighborhoods that intertwine through the city. There has been a reward posted at $20,000 – but I don’t know if I would take the money if I had information…perhaps just some free meals would be payment enough, haha. That reward money should go towards getting the destroyed businesses back on their feet.

The most recent act was on Nov. 9 outside Olive You, which was said to have caused roughly $20,000 in damage. Local entrepreneurs and community residents got together on Nov. 10 to discuss options on how to prevent future arsons and catch whoever is doing this. Too bad real life isn’t like CSI where they can catch the guy in less than a day! Also, local businesses are assisting any way they can to help the restaurants that have been targeted. Wing Dome has offered to contribute some of their revenue to the Greenwood Fire Relief Funds. On top of that, the owners of Sip & Ship (a shipping service with an espresso bar) have agreed to let the nonprofit Green Bean Coffee House use their coffee-bar equipment and operate out of the Sip & Ship space while the burned-down business plans their future course of action.

To me, this is such an amazing act of kindness it blows me away. To see that Seattleites are still community oriented and so willing to assist in times of need, it makes me proud to live in such a great city! Thank you, Greenwood, for restoring faith back into our communities.

How the Coffee Shop Scene Is Altering Patron Behavior:

I was reading a recent article in Nightclub & Bar Magazine and it definitely made me think a little bit about how the "coffee shop" era has evolved our way of going out. Have you noticed the crowds through the night staying the same lately? More often than not, consumers are starting to “bar hop” less and less, and are beginning to treat their venue of choice much like a coffee shop.

The Starbucks and Tully’s of the world have “trained” the new generation of party goers by changing the way bar customers view going out. People want a place to sit and talk, and it’s becoming more evident with the lush establishments with big sofas and circle style furniture; they are setting the scene for people to get comfortable and stay with their friends all night. This is a great time to think about your décor and see what you can do to make it more inviting for patrons to stay longer.

The numbers prove that venues based solely around dance floors are taking a hit with the economy. The establishments that have one or two smaller, low-key dance floors are achieving higher sales-per-square-foot.

Current customer research shows that “lack of seating” is a large factor today; it was a nearly nonexistent comment 5 years ago. This all goes back to the preconditioning from the coffee shops. Teens start to hang out at these venues at an early age, getting them use to this type of interaction. In turn, this affects their adult behavior and preference in bars…they have been groomed to enjoy the calmer, more conversation driven environment.

The research and tracking conducted by Nightclub & Bar Magazine shows that guests are now staying longer at venues compared to 5 years ago. It’s not that patrons are more concerned about more stringent DUI/DWI laws, but more that this trend is based on a new social behavior. They believe it fits into the new “let’s sit, talk and have coffee” mentality of the new younger bar customer.