Updates: December 2025

Hello!

It’s been a moment since my last post…thanks so much for your patience, inquiries and support. This has provided us a bit of runway to make some informed decisions as a team. We want to push ourselves to both preserve and refine our style of special occasion dining with the time remaining in our Ballard space. More specifics to come…but we will be here to create memories with you until May of 2026.

10 years is a great run and we thank all of you for allowing us to succeed and grow over the lifetime of this restaurant. Our team over the years has meant more to us than you can imagine. It’s quite something to work alongside people for 8 or 10 years. Probably the most rewarding and significant accomplishment we can celebrate as business owners.

You may wonder what’s next? We have chosen to allow ourselves some time off when our lease ends. Shaun and I work every service - and sometimes you need to give yourself a well deserved break in order to create your next chapter. The restaurant industry is hard on both mind and body. I would ask you to usher in the new chefs and hospitality professionals with this in mind. Small businesses in Seattle really need your support in order to survive.

Final details for Copine coming soon. Thank you for everything…

Jill and Shaun

July, 2025

Some thoughts as we celebrate Copine's 9th birthday this weekend.

First, we are very grateful to have gotten to know so many of you. Whether yearly, monthly or weekly visitors, you have kept us going. Thank you for all of your support and enthusiasm.

Second, economics have determined our next immediate step.

These past 5 months of operating at a marked deficit have presented serious challenges, financial and otherwise.

So: please join us for dinner here at the restaurant through December 31st and celebrate the final months of Copine as you know it now. You can call, book online or send an email in order to reserve your spot. I am happy to help with reservation requests outside of our booking window for those special occasions and celebrations.

Our priority as owner/operators has always been a thriving and stable career for our employees (most of whom have worked alongside us for the past 8 years) and ourselves. The hospitality industry and the economy have both become so unpredictable that it's very difficult to see a path forward - but the only way around is through. What happens over the next 6 months will help us determine our options as we enter 2026.

We are incredibly proud of this team and what we have accomplished together since 2016.

We look forward to seeing you soon...

"The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

On loss…

It’s hard to put into words how we process loss. In the course of operating this restaurant we have dealt with collective as well as personal losses on many levels. This past weekend we lost our longtime colleague and friend Amy Schmidt to cancer. It’s hard to think of Copine without thinking of her. She had been a part of our restaurant family for 15 years, give or take - as far back as Book Bindery. Her diagnosis was a long and reflective journey for her and I can say with certainty that she enjoyed her life. Amy continues to have an impact on our team and the guests with whom she shared her evenings. (Two of whom asked about her on Thursday while celebrating their Anniversary.)

I had a profound dream that woke me on Saturday morning; and I sensed then that she was out of pain and somewhere beautiful.

You are loved and remembered here, Amy.

"Mayday, mayday..."

Here we are. May. Hard to believe.

The National Restaurant Association sent out a state of the industry update this week: “Consumer sentiment is being negatively impacted by the slowing economy, uncertainties around tariffs, inflation, and the stock market. As a result, households are becoming increasingly wary about their financial situations, which could lead to reduced spending.” At it relates to tourism, the NY Times tells us: “Between a global trade war, cancelled visas and tourists detained at the border, the signals from the United States have been anything but inviting to potential visitors.”

That’s it in a nutshell, friends. So, what do we do?

This blog post serves to remind you that we are here, Thursday-Saturday from 5:00-8:00pm. Stop in for a drink or a glass of wine. Or one of our hand crafted N/A beverages. Have a bar bite. Enjoy our weekly changing Prix Fixe menu. Pre-order one of our Sunday Takeaway Meals. Sign up for the mailing list and get updates on upcoming Wine Club Tastings with our own Jeana Janik. Bistro Bar Bite notifications. Fried Chicken dine-ins, etc. We continue to be dynamic in our offerings and stay on brand with what we do…keep us in mind.

Our team is here for you; all we can do is remind you of that. And all you can do is what’s within your means; we are all in this together…thank you.

5 years later...

Exactly 5 years ago the world seemed to unravel; it felt like a Hollywood disaster movie. I remember one of my employees saying ‘do you think we’ll be closed for more than 2 weeks?’ And I knew…it would be way longer than that.

Fast forward to March 15th, 2025. We still have our core crew (including 5 team members who were with us in 2020) and are pushing every day to make our guests happy. Hospitality in this day and age is a very rocky place. Costs are skyrocketing: food, wine (stay tuned on that mess?) utilities, insurance, maintenance, etc. The big picture can be overwhelming. When I look around at our entire crew and how they enjoy work-how much they take ownership of what they do for a living- it makes it easier. My lovely work family…

Two guests stopped in for a meal at the bar last night. They noticed the familiar faces. They said they felt comfortable and cared for; as though they were in a safe place away from the blustering world outside.

I look how far we have come since the darkness that was 2020. My team makes the tough days easier. I can only continue to be grateful.

Beacons of Hope

Today is our golden retriever’s 3rd birthday. She brings such unconditional love to our little family. She does not judge. She does not ask for more than we can offer (well…usually.) She just is, in all her sweetness, an energy giver. The embodiment of hope.

This year, I am hyper-focused on nurturing the good things in the world as well as how we can support each other. Community is so important. Creating new opportunities and caring for those in my circle and beyond. According to Merriam-Webster, taking it one day at a time means, “to deal with each day's problems as they come instead of worrying about the future.“ The phrase is commonly used as advice when someone is thinking too far ahead or expecting issues or change overnight. Sometimes things come at us at an insane pace - and we can’t hide our heads in the sand. We just have to breathe and reboot. And then we make the decisions that lead us forward. This is where I choose to exist for now.

Happiest Birthday to our sweet Elysees…we love you!

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Martin Luther King, Jr

Fresh Perspective

We are, all of us, beginning to wrap up this year. I noticed I have been writing less and I think it’s a reflection of the strange weight of 2024. There is an eerie sense of familiarity to certain aspects of life. And at the same time so many unprecedented things have happened over the last 11 months.

As we look to 2025, there will be challenges, both personal and professional. This is a certainty. What we can do is stay strong, positive and focused. Be kind to yourselves and each other. Lead with grace. Celebrate the little things. Practice self care. Reflect and refocus. Sharing the excerpt below as we move forward - together.

“You have overcome every single thing that has been unexpected, that has been heartwrenching, that has not gone your way. You have built a life within the complete unknown, you have reconstructed a new version of yourself from the pieces of what you thought would be. You have always contained within yourself the remarkable strength of the human spirit, and no matter what tomorrow will bring, you will carry that power into it, too.”

from The Pivot Year, by Brianna Wiest

Critical Mass

Hi friends!

Just a heads up…the Ballard Bridge is being upgraded for the next 6 weeks or so starting next weekend (Friday, September 27th.) This means that we are going to be dealing with a likely loss of business for those that need to utilize the bridge to get here. Thursdays will still have normal bridge service. Note that you can reach us via the Fremont Bridge to Leary as well as Aurora/99 to N 45th or N 65th Streets. Also: If you’re running late just give us a call and let us know! We’ll make it as easy as we can on our end…

Also, when you’re here, ask about ISHA (Indie Seattle Hospitality Alliance.) We are running a pilot promo called Nourish Seattle which encourages visits to various ISHA businesses across the city. The first 10 folks to get 5 different stamps from participating properties get to attend (with a +1) a gala hosted by the chefs and owners…details at indieseattlehospitality.org

Happy Fall!