Schwartz Brothers
The Making of a Seattle Icon
Most of us know there’s lots of competition in Seattle’s
restaurant industry.
 We all know that international, as well as local, events
have contributed to a downturn in the economy.
Most of us are quite aware that the Pacific Northwest is
one of the worst-hit areas economically—first to go down, last to
recover—anytime there’s a recession.
What we don’t know is why one family of restaurants is
doing so well otherwise.
Schwartz Brothers Restaurants was founded in 1970 by
brothers Bill and John Schwartz. They opened with The Butcher restaurant in
Bellevue and have been creating and improving upon various concepts ever since.
Lindsey Schwartz, Bill’s son, now leads the company.
 Like many kids whose parents own restaurants, Lindsey
(right) spent a good part of his youth working for the family. He was a dishwasher and
prep cook at The Butcher, a prep cook at Benjamin’s when he was 13 (we’re
checking on child labor laws as this is published), and had numerous other jobs
throughout high school at Schwartz Brothers Delicatessen, Cucina! and Daniel’s.
Although he skipped town to get his degree in
entrepreneurial studies at USC, Schwartz Brothers opened a Benji’s Fish and
Chips restaurant off campus in L.A. which Lindsey ran during his junior and
senior years. (Remember the Benji’s Fish and Chips boat behind Benjamin’s on
Lake Union? There was probably a ten-year-old cousin behind that walk-up
window.)
When he returned to Seattle, Lindsey started the Cucina!
retail products division, selling food items throughout the Northwest. Some
things are hard to give up—he still manages that business even though Cucina!
has been sold (keep reading for further details). He served as Vice President of
Marketing at Cucina! and Vice President of Sales and Marketing before moving
into his current position as President of Schwartz Brothers Restaurants.
When asked about the reason behind their success, Lindsey
points to the usual suspects: great food, great locations, and great service.
"If I had to pick one thing, though, I’d always pick
service," he says. "We know that when times are tough, each visit needs to be a
special occasion whether it’s an anniversary, a birthday or just dinner out,"
Lindsey says. "It’s a people business and people make the difference, so we’re
very serious about training. We want to be known for having the best people and
being top of the line in service. That means everyone at Schwartz Brothers needs
to be on the same page."
Along with careful hiring, they offer fair compensation
and benefits that are at the top end for the restaurant industry. "People who
work with us really care about the customers; you should love what you do" says
Lindsey.
"We’re also concerned with value vs. price," explains
Lindsey. "Someone can pay $1.50 for a muffin and feel they got a bad deal, yet
pay $80 for steak and lobster at Daniel’s and think it was a great value. We
want to offer an experience that exceeds peoples’ expectations."
How well is this working?
Sales at Daniel’s have risen over the last few years, and
Chandler’s is up 20 percent over last year.
According to Dan Thiessen, Executive Chef at Chandler’s,
they’ve emphasized making people feel welcome and remembered. Dan himself is out
in the dining room talking with customers.
"Dan is really good at this," says Lindsey. "We want
customers to know that the chef is part of the experience. The chef cares about
the customer, as does the waiter and the busboy."
Schwartz Brothers also understands that people are always
looking for something new and different. Concept ideas come from different
sources. The executive team and senior managers take road trips around the
county, looking for what’s hot, then put a Northwest spin on it--or they may
purchase a restaurant already in existence.
If you look back at Schwartz Brothers history, you see how
it works. For instance, they came up with the concepts for Cucina! Cucina!,
Chandler’s and SPAZZO.
Cucina! Cucina! did so well they opened five more
locations and spun it off as a separate company. Eventually, there were
restaurants in five states. Realizing they didn’t want to be traveling all the
time and wanting to focus on what they do best, they sold the company to
Wolfgang Puck Worldwide. "I like to go into our restaurants and know the
people," Lindsey says. "I couldn’t do that with places in five other states."
Interestingly, they haven’t severed all ties. If you buy a Schwartz Brothers
gift card, it can still be used at Cucina! Cucina! Italian Café and Cucina!
Presto! (and, as you know now, from reading this entire article, Lindsey is
still managing the Cucina! retail products company).
Benjamin’s, on the other hand, was purchased from a
Bellevue firm, and later the Lake Union site was opened. It had a great run, but
they felt it was time for a change. They had purchased Daniel’s in Leschi and
decided to really focus on that concept after Cucina! was sold, replacing the
Lake Union Benjamin’s with Daniel’s and adding a Bellevue location. The Bellevue
site of Benjamin’s is now SPAZZO, a Mediterranean grill and tapas bar.
Schwartz Brothers also chose to combine their catering
company with that of Gretchen Mather’s, Gretchen’s of Course, renaming it -
Gretchen’s of Schwartz.
They then opened Schwartz Brothers Bakery and Columbia
River Bakery. Items baked here are sent to all their restaurants and sold
wholesale to hospitals, hotels, the airport and Amtrak.
They also purchased Nordstrom’s Shoe Box lunches renaming
it Gretchen’s Shoe Box Express. In addition, Gretchen’s has the concession at
Benaroya, not only providing wine, cookies, and café food, but also catering.
Seattle Design Center has had a Schwartz Brothers presence
for years and now has two spots—the Atrium Café serving lunch only, and the
Piazza Italian Café, mostly "grab and go" salads and sandwiches, plus baked
goods and pastries.
The Chandler’s concept has been very successful and, in
fact, was shopped by a restaurant company from Japan who liked it so much while
on their own road trip that they became a franchise owner.
In 1997, a Chandler’s opened in Yokohama. Schwartz
Brothers executives travel there twice a year to update the menu. But even the
most successful concepts get reviewed and Chandler’s now has a new look, menu,
music, and uniforms (see full article by Mina).
"We’re very excited about the changes," says Lindsey.
"It’s still world-class seafood and we’re still delivering a world-class
experience, but it’s reenergized. We want to set the standard, whether it’s for
the US or internationally."
Schwartz Brothers Restaurants is planning on further
expansion for current concepts as well as development of new concepts, and
Lindsey sees expansion staying in the Northwest. That’s good news for our area.
Connie Adams/Summer 03
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