JOHN CURLEY AND SHARI ELLIKER

Beloved Seattle cafe ‘crushed’ by ever-growing costs

Dec 19, 2016, 6:01 AM | Updated: Jan 2, 2017, 8:40 am

Louisa's closed down near the end of 2016. (MyNorthwest)...

Louisa's closed down near the end of 2016. (MyNorthwest)

(MyNorthwest)

The owner of a beloved cafe and bakery says the costs to operate in Seattle contributed to the sudden shuttering of its doors.

Alcena Plum, former owner of Louisa’s on Eastlake, says the closure is reflective of a city that is becoming increasingly expensive to be in.

Related: Disappearing Seattle has become a cottage industry

“I don’t want to put this all on the minimum wage, but it was definitely a factor,” she told KIRO Radio’s Tom and Curley. “There were ongoing issues with the business for years.”

Plum says the business was struggling to make ends meet. The city’s minimum wage law, which requires employers with 500 or fewer employees to pay at least $11 an hour by Jan. 1, was hurting Plum’s bottom line, she says.

However, there were other factors that played into the closure.

“This type of business doesn’t necessarily bring in enough revenue to employ as many people as I was able to employ before,” Plum said. “Then service goes down because I don’t have enough staff or our wait times are longer for food because I can’t afford to hire enough people in the kitchen. Never mind the huge labor shortage for kitchen staff in this city.”

Plum says it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified candidates — or any candidates at all — to work in the food service industry. The people moving to Seattle and King County are all doing so to work in the tech industry, she says. She’s not wrong.

According to Gene Balk with The Seattle Times, the number of people born in Washington and living in King County declined.

Between 2014 and 2015, their number fell by more than 17,000 — a 2 percent drop,” Balk writes. “There are now 850,000 Washington-born residents in the county or 40 percent of its total population.

By the same token, Seattle’s housing market became the hottest in the nation as the booming tech industry drives record population growth, GeekWire reports. Transplants “flock to the region” for tech jobs.

“People are working in tech,” Plum said. “You don’t have people moving into [Seattle] to work in a kitchen … It doesn’t pay the most, although the wages are going up.”

Plum says when she places ads for the cook, she now gets zero response.

What is possibly the most frustrating part of the closure for Plum is she had to put 20 people out of work with only a day’s notice. Some of her employees had worked at Louisa’s for 18 years or more. Plum started a GoFundMe campaign to try and help her former employees.

As far as other restaurants go, Plum says they are probably tackling similar issues. However, some establishments may have multiple restaurants or are backed by more money.

“Look who is backing them. Where is money coming from?” Plum asked. “That’s a question above my pay grade. I’m a single mom with a café-bakery. I don’t know how people make this stuff work anymore, to be honest.

“We were being crushed under the weight of debt and things we weren’t able to pay for anymore.”

Related: Will Amazon Go be our friend or foe?

Residents of Seattle shouldn’t be surprised if they see menu prices continue to increase due to ever-growing costs, Plum says.

As for smaller places like Louisa’s go, Plum doesn’t hold out much hope.

“Places like mine won’t survive this.”

John Curley and Shari Elliker on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for John Curley and Shari Elliker.

John Curley and Shari Elliker

John Curley and Shari Elliker

Photo: Scott Fitzsimmons' "I-1THIS" license plate....

KIRO Newsradio staff

‘I didn’t even feel it’: John Curley shares astonishing story of local winner

The "I-1THIS" license plate is more than creative, it comes with a story of triumph. John Curley told the story who won the winning plate.

3 days ago

seattle nightmare tenant...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle homeowner’s ‘nightmare tenant’ situation resolved one year later

A Seattle homeowner's "nightmare tenant" situation, causing him to live in a van instead of his home for a stretch of time, has finally been resolved one year later.

4 days ago

curley dancing naked...

John Curley

John Curley’s life advice: Start your day by dancing naked to Andrea Bocelli

This has been a part of my regular morning routine for some time now: getting up in the morning and dancing naked every day.

5 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Let’s Talk About Eagles

John and Shari discuss the hatch watch for a bald Eagle named Jackie as she sits on her eggs. Then, the conversation goes in a different direction about snakes eating eggs and eagles eating cats. You want to listen to this one! Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm […]

10 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Bradley Cooper Walks Around His House Naked

Apparently, Bradley Cooper walks around his house naked a lot. The John and Shari Show talks about their experiences growing up with their parents. Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm on KIRO Newsraio 97.3 FM Listen to KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to learn more! […]

16 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: The Naked Man Festival Is No More

If you had travelling to Japan for the annual Naked Men Festival on your bucket list… we have some bad news. After more than 1000 years, the festival has been permanently canceled. Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm on KIRO Newsraio 97.3 FM Listen to KIRO Newsradio 97.3 […]

24 days ago

Beloved Seattle cafe ‘crushed’ by ever-growing costs