Century-Old Seattle Restaurant the Virginia Inn Avoids Closure | Eater Seattle

"One of Seattle’s most publicly contentious landlord-tenant disputes has resolved: the historic, century-old downtown restaurant will stay open, owner Craig Perez announced on social media on Wednesday, April 28, writing, “This morning we received a last-minute reprieve of the eviction notice,” he wrote, “with plans to find a path forward.” Two weeks earlier Perez—who bought the spot in 2019—had said it would close after lease negotiations with the landlord, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA), broke down. Perez encouraged V.I. fans to contact PDA officials and local politicians and shared supportive messages, including images of customers writing “Fuck the Market!” on checks. In an interview with the Stranger he said people at the PDA “don’t like me” and that he had taken the century-old sign off the building and brought it home — a point of contention with the PDA, which said it owned the sign; Perez told the Stranger, “Oh, they’re mad. They actually threatened a police report. They threatened to have me arrested.” Despite the public conflict, the parties have been negotiating: a PDA spokesperson said that “the current tenant [Perez] will continue operations through early September, while actively working with the PDA to identify a new operator... Additionally, the current owner has committed to returning the historic sign, which will remain past a transition of ownership as well as the historic bar and booths.” Perez did not respond to Eater Seattle’s request for comment, and an Instagram Story from the restaurant’s account said the sign “is being repaired and will be reinstalled ASAP.” The PDA has maintained that both the physical space and the broader brand would continue without the current owner, noting ownership has changed several times before; to avoid a summer shutdown, both the current tenant and the PDA say they are working in partnership to find the right new operator to continue the location’s important legacy." - Harry Cheadle