The Landscape of Restaurants...

Having been in this business for 30 + years, I would say I have a pretty good grasp of restaurant trends. However, what’s happening now is of note…and it’s not something I have seen before. Even in the 2008 crash (I was living in New York City at that point) I still saw people going out regularly in all sectors of dining.

I am hearing from colleagues near and far about restaurants being slower. Strikingly, painfully slower. These comments started circulating back in October and have continued pretty consistently since then. It could be all manner of factors…the state of the world, economics, seasonality. Who knows? What I do know is that it’s harder for restaurants right now.

Using Copine as an example: we shoot for about 50 guests per night and have not had issue with hitting that number since we re-opened in late 2021. (Last year was pretty irregular…James Beard brings a different business level and set of circumstances. It was just always busy.) But not quite halfway through 2024…it’s quieter than I have seen before. We get to 50 some nights…but it’s a slow build to get there. On top of that…we have a full crew that we pay quite well. They work hard, are loyal and are pushed each week to be better than the last. So that’s the gravy…that’s the part that makes sense. Making a career in hospitality desirable.

When I look at something like renewing a lease I think you can’t keep making change in this industry unless you stay in the industry. But is that doable? Is it going to become too stressful? I don’t know. I guess the next couple of years will help us decide…

No Surprises

I wanted to address something that appears to be an easily fixed problem for a very small group of our diners: everything you need to know before dining with us appears on our website and is visible on our menu before ordering.

There are no surprises as to costs or dishes we are serving. This restaurant is inherently French technique driven and we write a new menu every week. These are posted on Sundays so that there is ample time to change your plans if our offerings are not quite what you are looking for. On top of that, we accommodate an extraordinary amount of dietary restrictions to the best of our ability.

I mention this for the few diners that take issue with what we are serving on any given evening or the costs associated with providing that experience. All of these things are spelled out in the FAQ section of our website. Prices for everything are rising, as you can tell by a trip to any grocery store. Our choice here at Copine is not to add line item service charges to a diner’s check. Instead, we take 2% of our total food sales every night and add that directly into our cook’s paychecks. Seattle is an expensive city and we want our culinary team to thrive both professionally and financially.

As my husband’s father says : “you don’t go to McDonald’s and expect Burger King.” Everything is not for everybody…and that’s okay. However, life is full of choices we make: and some of those are to try new things. Managing expectations is a shared responsibility.

Let's go Seattle!!

Hi friends! Extending huge congrats to the nods for the James Beard Awards! A great group of Seattle folks are on the long list…support them! This attention brings all kinds of benefits…and a different sort of self imposed pressure. Remember to be kind and know that the restaurant business is hard; remind your local faves that they rock. And that - at the end of the day - they are all already winners…

Best of luck…we are rooting for all of you!

Jill and Shaun

Happy New Year!

Thank you to all of you lovely people that have supported us over the past year…2023 has been full of change, re-focusing, challenges and renewal. We would not be here without the support of our guests and our team. Looking forward to what 2024 has to offer…we hope it brings good things for you and yours!

Best,

Jill and Shaun

Thierry

I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that we have lost a friend and mentor. Thierry Rautureau was a gem of a human. Kind, talented, patient, smart, understanding; all the things, as they say. When Shaun and I moved here in 2010, Thierry hired me as his opening manager at Luc. We had a lot of the same culinary acquaintances in common and hit it off right away. I can’t tell you how lucky I was to have him and Kathy as my first employers in Seattle. They welcomed me with open arms and treated me like family. I still have the lovely notes they sent me when I moved on from Luc.

While Shaun and I were setting up Copine, Thierry spent countless hours over a good meal or glass of wine (or a Lucatini) offering us advice and support; it really meant so much to us. He was a shrewd businessman and honestly could not have been more generous with his time. And the beauty of him is that he was like that to everyone. He did so much to improve the lives of the people around him.

About 2 months ago we asked them to join us for a quiet dinner to be able to catch up. The pandemic, scheduling and then his illness had prevented us from getting together sooner. I have never been more grateful to have spent an evening with anyone. His positivity was just unmatched. They were getting ready to take another trip and he was embracing every moment of life. The stories and laughter are something I will hold close to me forever.

We miss you. Thank you, Thierry. For all of it.

October 2023

Well, hello October!

I am pleased to say that after much hard work (thank you BOH team) and patience to find the right fit(s) we have completed our kitchen staffing. (Pause for applause.)

The fall is always interesting for us; it’s very busy up until mid-September and then usually a slight lull until after Halloween. We had the pleasure recently of hosting the inaugural “Around the Table” dining series with The James Beard Foundation and Capital One. This dinner highlighted Shaun’s journey as a chef and featured a menu of dishes that were significant in his career and his growth as a cook. Thank you to all who came out for the night…

Stay tuned for our Thanksgiving Takeaway Menu for this year…pick-ups will be November 22nd.

I hope autumn is treating everyone well-we look forward to welcoming you soon!

WTH...v.2

This past week a new cook started with us. He had stated that he really needed work, as his wife was just out of the hospital. Could he start right away? Sure, we said. After working Wednesday (a prep day) he wrote down his list of things to do on Thursday, took 3 brand new custom embroidered aprons with the Copine logo and left work.

And never came back.

No response to emails or a phone call after the fact. If this is the work ethic of some in this industry…I am not sure where that will leave the landscape of dining out. All that is needed is words. Maybe it was harder technique-wise than he thought? Or (more likely) he just chased after more money. But at least have the common decency to speak up and communicate. I don’t understand people?

And by the way: at the minimum you could bring our aprons back. SMH.

WTH?

Hmm. The best way to approach this is just to write it down and get it out…

Over the last 9 months we have been tested in ways we have not experienced before. 2 break-ins at Copine. Both Shaun and I experiencing Covid…employees with Covid. Personal tragedy in the loss of a dear guest to cancer as well as the loss of a close family member just last Sunday due to two massive strokes. A severe car crash in May, which totaled my car. Leaks in the ceiling from an unattended bath that a tenant forgot about. Fire alarms randomly going off during our dinner service. And this past weekend a small gas leak that caused no damage, but required the Fire Department to break in a floor to ceiling window.

Intertwined in this time frame is a string of failed hires from dishwashers to cooks who seem to be suffering personally; to the point where they cannot show up to work. I feel like this pandemic has left people emotionally damaged.

At the same time: I love this industry. I love making people happy; I love what I do. And we were nominated for a James Beard Award in tandem with all these crazy circumstances.

All this to say, I have never felt so lucky to be supported by those that understand. By those that cling together when the waters are getting high. We all have our struggles, etc. But it’s the people that GET IT that survive-even thrive. If you are considering a career in the hospitality/restaurant industry be sure to think long and hard about who you surround yourself with; and be sure that they know how valuable they are.

Because that’s what saves you in the end.