Unexpected Restaurant Closures in Washington Now Lead to Layoffs

July 20, 2024

Unexpected restaurant closures in Washington now lead to layoffs by September at 10 different locations, sources report.

Homegrown Partners LLC announced it will permanently close the restaurants on Sept. 15, according to the Employment Security Department.

A total of 158 people will be laid off when 10 of Homegrown Seattle-area locations close in September.

The remaining locations in downtown Seattle and Mercer Island as well as Homegrown’s catering business will continue to operate, the company said.

The company cited an “unsustainable model” due to economic impacts such as increasing labor and food costs, as the reason for the decision.

Which locations are closing in Washington?

Below is the list provided by King5 News:

Homegrown (Capitol Hill) – 1531 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Homegrown (Queen Anne) – 2201 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98119
Homegrown (South Lake Union) – 208 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Homegrown (Redmond) – 7841 Leary Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
Homegrown (Microsoft, Building 6) – 15745 NE 36th St Building 6, Redmond, WA 98052
Homegrown (Southcenter Mall) – 2800 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA 98188
Hap’s Burgers & Taps (Mercer Island) – 2411 76th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Wonderbowl (Bellevue) – 500 Bellevue Way NE 2nd Floor, Bellevue, WA 98004
Homegrown (Kirkland) – 104 Lake St, Kirkland, WA 98033
Homegrown (University Village) – 2650 NE Village Lane St. Suite 24B, Seattle, WA 98105

According to its website, Homegrown’s mission was to operate with as little environmental impact as possible and serve food that was sustainably sourced, a mission the company said it would continue to serve through its two remaining story.

The locations that are still in operation include:

Homegrown (Downtown Seattle) – 999 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Homegrown: includes retail and catering operations (Mercer Island) – 3016 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040

Are you concerned with the ongoing restaurant closures and layoffs in Washington?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Also Read: Retirees Will Now Receive More Money For Social Security

Other Economy News Today

Applications for unemployment benefits now surge to new highs, a sign that the white-hot labor market is starting to cool off.

First-time applications for unemployment benefits rose last week to 231,000, the highest level since August, per CNN.

Thursday’s data also showed that the number of continuing claims, or applications from people who have filed for unemployment for at least one week, was 1.78 million.

That’s an increase of 17,000 from the prior week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The latest numbers come less than a week after the monthly jobs report showed the US economy added just 175,000 positions in April, less than economists expected and a steep drop-off from prior months.

US employers have now added an average of 245,500 jobs per month, versus 2023’s 251,000-per-month average.

Still, hiring remains strong. Although the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9% last month, it’s the 27th consecutive month that the jobless rate has held under 4%, matching a streak last seen in the late 1960s.

Weekly jobless claims data tends to be volatile but, while one week’s worth of data “does not a trend make,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds.

“We can no longer be sure that calm seas lie ahead for the US economy if today’s weekly jobless claims are any indication.”

“Company layoffs are picking up, hinting at caution on the part of companies as they weigh the outlook for the second half of the year,” he wrote in a note Thursday.

The Federal Reserve has been battling inflation by raising its key lending rate in the hopes of slowing the economy.

While the labor market has so far resisted those efforts, remaining white hot for the past 18 months despite 11 rate hikes from the central bank, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week that demand has “cooled from its extremely high level of a couple of years ago.”

Ian Shepherdson at Pantheon Economics said in a note Thursday: “We’d need to see at least a month of elevated readings to convince us that the trend really has turned.”

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Also Read: A Giant Company Now Announces Unexpected Layoffs in Virginia

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