‘Definitely the hardest’ time to run a business, Columbia City restaurant owner claims

Theo Martin, the owner of Island Soul in Columbia City for the past 25 years, claimed that running a small business is harder today than it has ever been, including surviving the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s definitely the hardest,” Martin said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “You have to adapt to the increase in minimum wage, the increase in food costs. I mean, we’re all living in the same world, so we’re all dealing with it. But as a restaurant and a business, I definitely know for us, we have to stop and look at who’s in the door, look at our watch and go, ‘OK, in the next hour, what’s going to happen? Am I going to send somebody home? Do I need to send an employee home?’ Because I’m counting the minutes. I used to count the days, now I’m counting the minutes.”

Island Soul, a third-generation Caribbean and Creole-blended eatery, initially started off as a barbecue restaurant in the Central District in the 1970s, run by Theo Martin’s father.

“You’ve been around for a long time, but your customer base has changed because gentrification happened,” KIRO host Gee Scott said. “So the people, the grandmas and the aunties and uncles, all of them that were coming and religiously coming to your food, no longer live in that area because they’ve been priced out.”

“Yes, that’s been a big change,” Martin agreed. “We talked about it earlier. What has been the change in the restaurant? It has been the customer.”

The third generation steps in

Martin shared with Gee and co-host Ursula Reutin that, as he has passed the restaurant down to his son and daughter, they have helped him stay competitive with other, more modern restaurants.

“For one, we have karaoke every Thursday. This is the kicker: from 9 p.m. until 1 in the morning on a Thursday,” Martin said. “I would have never done that, but my son was like, ‘Dad, change. You’ve got to reinvent yourself.’ That’s where we’re at right now.”

Through trendy, weekly events and activities to having a social media presence driving new flocks of customers to the establishment, Martin acknowledged that, in order to have a steady clientele, it takes more than good food to offer them.

“The market for restaurants has changed,” Martin said. “You have to know exactly now, quickly, how to be part of that change.”

Late last month, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (Position 8, citywide) announced a new proposal that would lower city taxes for approximately 90% of Seattle businesses that currently pay the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax as a way to alleviate the financial burden small businesses are facing in today’s climate.

“We’re family-owned. We’re third generation, and we’re not going anywhere,” Martin said. “We are bringing a product that, when you eat it, you will smile and bring a friend tomorrow. It’s love, and it’s from the heart, and it’s a lot of fun in Columbia City.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.