Sushi By Scratch Restaurants: Seattle

Seattle’s Sushi By Scratch Is Back Open After Bizarre Permitting Snafu | Eater Seattle

"After a bizarre run-in with the King County Health Department, this Seattle omakase outpost briefly closed: inspectors discovered in January that it had been operating without a permit, which chain co-owner Phillip Frankland Lee said was because "the first-time restaurant operator he was subleasing the space from had neglected to complete the permitting process and didn’t inform Lee." Lee attempted to stay open and pay a daily fine while he re-filed for a permit, but according to the Health Department he was told that that wasn’t allowed, and in March Lee closed. On April 3 inspectors cleared the restaurant to reopen following kitchen changes that included the installation of a new handwashing sink and the discontinuation of a vacuum sealer and dehydrator; an earlier claim by the Health Department that there was a lack of refrigeration has been retracted, according to the Seattle Times, but Lee says that that accusation has damaged his restaurant’s reputation, maybe fatally. Before the closure Lee says the place was routinely sold out, but since its return it’s been nearly empty and "If we don’t turn this thing around, we’re gonna close up shop next month," he says. The restaurant remains open for now and has launched a late-night cocktails-and-bites menu that runs 9:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays in its 14-seat bar (reported originally by Eater Seattle)." - Harry Cheadle