Consolidated Restaurants, Inc.

Some of Seattle’s best dining experiences are provided by a name some may not know, Consolidated Restaurants. Started in 1951 by David Cohn as Barb Enterprises and renamed Consolidated Restaurants in the 70s, its restaurants bring back memories: The Barb, The Polynesia, Select Grill, Pescatore, Hiram’s, Union Square Grill, DC’s Grill. The current restaurants make new memories daily: Elliott’s Oyster House and The Metropolitan Grill. In addition, Consolidated (CRI) runs quick-service operations: Steamers Seafood Cafes, Quincy’s Charbroiled Burgers and Wing Dome (CRI became the majority owner in 2006 and manages the concept).

Photo: Dave Cohn

Cohn expanded his company by reproducing The Barb and creating The Polynesia, a unique concept on Pier 51. The memory of the closed restaurant being towed away on a raft across Elliott Bay can still bring a tear to the eye. In 1975, he opened Elliott Bay Fish and Oyster Company (now Elliott’s Oyster House) and Steamers at Pier 56. In 1981, Quincy’s opened at Seattle Center. 1983 saw two momentous events. The Metropolitan Grill opened in Seattle’s financial district and David’s son Ron Cohn took over restaurant operations. A Steamers was opened at Seattle Center in 1987. Both Quincy’s and Steamers were updated at the Center in 1996, and Elliott’s was expanded for its 25^th anniversary in 1999. DC’s Grill opened on the Sammamish Plateau in 2001 and closed in 2009. For nearly eight years, CRI partnered with Argosy Cruises on The Royal Argosy, providing fine dining on the high seas (Elliott Bay and Puget Sound). from May 2000 to April 2008. Union Square Grill closed in 2009. David Cohn passed away in 2003; Ron remains Chairman of the Board. CRI celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year with its two full-service restaurants (The Met and Elliott’s), four Wing Domes, five Steamers and two Quincy’s (Steamers and Quincy’s are both on Microsoft’s west campus).

Photo above: The Metropolitan Grill

CRI operates each restaurant as a stand-alone. As Director of Operations Jeremy Anderson says, "Each restaurant acts autonomously. We have a leadership team of six people and our jobs are to support the restaurants so they can provide a seamless experience for the guest. The restaurants are our customers. Everyone shares their opinions on the direction of the restaurants. Chefs have culinary say. We’re a unified team."

That collaborative, family feel is part of what makes CRI unique. Many on the service staff have been part of the company for over 20 years. Jeremy started with CRI when he was 14 as a dishwasher. His grandfather was the corporate executive chef for years and opened The Met. His brother Josh is the general manager at The Met now. Jeremy and Eric Hellner, executive chef at The Met, have worked together for 20 years, first as oyster shuckers at Elliott’s. Jeremy became a pantry cook there, then moved to the line at Union Square Grill (USG). As a senior in high school, he worked five nights a week as a sauté cook at USG. "I loved the atmosphere," he says. "I got my hotel/restaurant degree from WSU, spending summer months working at USG. Then I went to the Culinary Institute of America in New York for two years. When I graduated, I returned and became a sous chef at USG with Eric." He then moved to Pescatore (Ballard locks) as a sous chef, then back to USG as head chef. "That got me into full-on management. I loved USG—the cuisine was so broad, you could do anything. I stayed from 2001 through late 2003, moving to Elliott’s as the executive chef in October and staying through 2008. Eric was also a chef at USG and spent five years at Elliott’s, then moved to The Met. I hired Robert Spaulding, executive chef at Elliott’s, four years ago. These kinds of relationships tell you a lot about the company culture."

Photo above: Director of Operations Jeremy Anderson

Jeremy, along with the core CRI management team he works with daily, including president and CEO Jim Rowe and director of CRI’s fast casual restaurants Phil Warchol, leverage staff and knowledge, and promote from within. Servers may work at both Elliott’s and The Met. Cooks at Steamers may move on to Elliott’s. Jeremy sometimes acted as corporate chef while chef at Elliott’s. He eventually became the director of operations for the full-service restaurants and corporate chef for the company. He also runs The Zone, a partnership with the University of Washington. They create a full-service restaurant as part of the parking lot craziness for each home football game.

Photo: CEO Jim Rowe

Core competencies are their focus—whether it’s offering the best steak in town or the freshest Northwest seafood. They’re constantly in the dry age room, in the mid-West on feed lots or visiting oyster farms. They support the Puget Sound Restoration Fund as "Puget Sound is our farm." When the economy dived, they didn’t cut quality. "If you want to be the best in town, you can’t cut the guest experience. We focused our attention on the basics and looked at our processes. We’ve also worked hard to make Elliott’s a downtown neighborhood restaurant, not just a tourist destination."

As the corporate chef, Jeremy loves the dichotomy of moving from fine dining to quick service. "I learn a lot working on ideas with Phil for the Wing Dome," he laughs. "It’s very fun. Wing Dome neighborhoods are different, so we have a core menu and then offer specials to please the various demographics. We treat the guests at the quick service restaurants the same way as guests at The Met."

Photo: Director of fast casual restaurants Phil Warchol

Looking ahead, there are no concrete plans for expansion, but they are always watching for opportunities. "We’ve definitely contracted," says Jim. "Our goal is to broaden again when the time/place/concept is right. We added a Wing Dome in West Seattle last year. It’s doubtful we would open another Met or Elliott’s elsewhere. We like the greater Puget Sound area. We’re always looking to the future and thinking ‘what can we do?’ that makes sense and we could do well. We want to be around for another 60+ years." All good news.

Elliott’s Oyster House                         Quincy’s Charbroiled Burgers 1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56                   Center House, Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98101 206-623-4340                                       Steamers Seafood Café www.elliottsoysterhouse.com                 Center House, Seattle Center                                                            228 Central Way, Kirkland Metropolitan Grill                                1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56, Seattle 820 2nd Avenue                                    8802 6th Ave, Titlow Beach, Tacoma Seattle, WA 98104                               www.steamersseafoodcafe.com 206-624-3287 www.themetropolitangrill.com                 Wing Dome                                                            7818 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle     4523 California Ave SW, West Seattle     232 Central Way, Kirkland     21008 108th Ave SE, Kent     www.thewingdome.com     Photo: Elliott's on Pier 56

Connie Adams/March 2011

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