Sushi By Scratch Restaurants: Seattle

Why Seattle’s Sushi by Scratch Was Closed by the Health Department | Eater Seattle

"Opened in 2022 in Belltown on Sixth Avenue as the Seattle outpost of a high-end omakase chain, the restaurant arrived to a lot of hype with moody lighting and a menu that included swanky, surprising ingredients like bone marrow; The Infatuation called eating there a “carnival ride of fun fish, fun conversation, and fun surroundings.” However, it turned out to be missing a health department permit that would allow it to serve sushi. According to screenshots reviewed by Eater Seattle, an entrepreneur named Jeff Park reached out on Instagram saying he had “a restaurant space in Seattle, WA that was built out to be a omakase style sushi bar” and, as co-owner Phillip Frankland Lee recounts, “Part of the consideration for this deal is that he had all applicable permits, etcetera, for an operating restaurant,” and “So we do a deal, we come out, we open a restaurant.” As the team subleased the space they assumed Park had a permit; Park appears to have assumed the same. Park emailed a PDF he said was the permit, but Lee says the document was just an approval to get a permit and that Park had apparently not taken the final steps necessary to acquire one. A King County Health Department spokesperson confirmed that “While a food service permit application had been filed with us for a boba tea café at this address, the permit application was abandoned by the applicant prior to completion.” The Health Department told the restaurant in late January that it would need to resubmit paperwork, a process that could take a month or more, and Lee said “We can’t close for two months,” adding “We’ll just go out of business.” Lee says he asked officials what would happen if he stayed open without a permit and that he was told he couldn’t; he says, “We made the hard decision to pay 250 bucks a day and stay open.” The department, however, said “We informed him that this was illegal and not allowed,” and added that “There is no ‘option’ for restaurant owners to pay this fee in order [to] continue to operate outside of the law,” further noting that “The fee is intended as a deterrent to operating illegally. Allowing a food facility to operate unpermitted while paying a daily fee does not address the serious food safety risk to the public.” According to the department, officials did not realize the restaurant was still open until February 19; they visited multiple times and issued public closure notices on March 5 and March 12, writing that not only did the business lack a permit, it had a “kitchen unsuitable for [the] menu” and an “excessive number of critical violations.” Inspectors also said additional sinks would be required and that “the inspector observed raw protein on counters (without refrigerated counters below, which is sometimes used at sushi restaurants) at room temperature. This indicated insufficient refrigeration storage.” Lee disputes the safety claims, saying he had seven fridges, two freezers, and multiple sinks and noting “I’ve got 12 other restaurants in 11 cities” and “We’re operating the same as we do everywhere else.” He maintains “We’ve never gotten anyone sick in three years,” and says he’s not looking for a battle with public health officials; he’ll be meeting with the Health Department and hopes to resolve the situation soon: “We’ll do whatever they want.”" - Harry Cheadle