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Seattle Restaurant Store
Updating a long-time favorite
The Catania family has a long history in the Seattle area.
Going back as early as 1920, Sam Catania founded Catania & Sons in Georgetown.
The company morphed its way through the many war eras, changing names and
locations - including storefronts on 5th Avenue and Eastlake. Today
the Seattle Restaurant Store carries on the Catania tradition on Aurora Avenue
under the helm of owner Anthony Catania.
Since moving to Aurora Avenue in the summer of 1999, the
Seattle Restaurant Store has experienced a 40% increase in sales. Overall sales
are split between the restaurant industry at 75%, and consumer business, which
accounts for the other 25%.
A trip into the store, which is open to the public,
reveals a plethora of industrial grade kitchen and bar items that are top
quality and affordable. Whether you own a 500 seat restaurant, or just want to
outfit your kitchen at home, SRS probably has a number of things you can use. If
you’re tired of cheap cookware from K-Mart, and low grade whisks, spatulas and
other baking goods you might pick up at Target, your trip to SRS will reveal the
virtues of having a quality kitchen at home for about the same price you’d spend
on sub-par goods elsewhere.
| The Unexpected Visit
In 1997 the City of Seattle was hot at work building new
sewer lines under Eastlake Avenue near the previous location of the Seattle
Restaurant Store, using a robotic drill to tunnel the new lines. The roadwork
was hurting all the businesses in the area and cutting off critical parking for
SRS customers.
One afternoon owner Anthony Catania was working in his
office at the store when he felt a strange rumble from below. Catania walked out
to the street and queried the foreman who was looking into a hole in the street.
"What are you looking for?" asked Catania.
"The Robot" said the foreman.
"You’re not gonna see it there" Catania responded.
"Oh yeah, it’s gonna show up any minute" replied the
foreman.
"No – if you want it it’s under my desk" said Catania.
Indeed the robot had been programmed incorrectly and
drilled a hole through the barrier wall of the SRS basement. Once the city
figured out how they were going to repair the damage, Catania was kind enough to
let them have their robot back.
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SRS is a bit of a destination location perched on Aurora
Avenue just past 145th Street in Shoreline. Nonetheless, people come
from miles around to shop here. Anthony Catania says, "We don’t do a lot of
advertising, our biggest draw comes from word of mouth."
The secret to their low prices, which are often 50% to 70%
off of list price, lies in Catania’s buying prowess and his connections to
quality manufacturers. "We have to act fast when a good deal comes our way,"
says Catania. "We don’t always know just how we’re going to move the product
when we buy it; the important thing is to pick up the deal while it’s there,
then figure out the sales strategy later." SRS often makes large purchases on
items such as cookware, aprons, chairs and just about anything you can think of
that is a part of the dining experience. Today SRS has split its buying between
two teams, one that sources for the restaurant side, and the other which sources
for the consumer side.
A recent catch was a batch of 4,000 aprons in various
colors. "The deal was that we had to take them all, regardless of color, so we
did. Now the challenge is to figure out what to do with the few oddball colors
that were in the lot," Catania says.
The buying team is always on the lookout for "emerging
items" – items that are hot, or picking up steam in the market. Over the years
that has included tools like Cuisinart and Waring gadgets, coffee makers,
juicers and the latest crazes in cookware and cutlery.
As for being online, SRS has a website, but does not do
any online selling. Catania notes - "We want people to come into the store, look
around and see the products for themselves."
 A shrewd businessman, Catania
(left) is careful to select
employees based on background. Most SRS employees have chef, restaurant, or
compatible business background which is the glue that makes the team click, and
provides the best level of customer service a single specialty location can
offer.
How about something used? For many startup restaurants,
new owners may be looking to cut corners by finding a good deal on a used
commercial grade freezer, Wolf gas range or bakery case. SRS has more than 1,000
square feet of used items on hand making it more affordable for people to outfit
their spaces with quality pre-owned products at a good price.
For the time being, SRS has no plans to open any other
locations. "We want to remain profitable and have fun" says Catania.
TM/Summer 03
The Seattle Restaurant
Store, Inc
14910 Aurora Ave. North
(206)362-4900
http://www.seattlerestaurantstore.com
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