Too hot to cook: Heat wave closes many restaurants in Western Washington
Broken ice machines, sputtering exhaust systems, overproofed pizza dough and limited to no air conditioning have compelled restaurants across Western Washington to close Monday, as record-breaking heat descends upon the region.
“If there’s a day of the week the impact isn’t as bad, it’s a Monday,” said Alex Ha, co-owner of Spanky Burger & Brew in Tacoma. “But in all honesty, for our employees’ sake, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
The fast-casual restaurant on 6th Avenue was open, like most restaurants, on Saturday. It powered through Sunday, when many businesses closed early and organizers preemptively canceled events as the temperatures crept toward the triple-digits. They were busy, he said, especially with delivery orders.
Ha bought an extra fan for the kitchen and ice packs for staff, “in case they just needed to hug it and cool down,” he joked. “Everyone was just taking turns going into the walk-in cooler.”
In there, it’s a cool 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In the kitchen, the thermostat clocked 97 degrees.
“We do have air-conditioning, but not in the kitchen,” he told The News Tribune Monday morning, as he was unpacking the week’s food order alone. A restaurant’s system is typically designed to maintain a steady, comfortable temperature in the dining room — for the comfort of the guests — but the kitchen would rarely have a separate thermostat, explained Ha.
“Regardless, you’re in front of something that’s hot,” he said. “The walk-in, I think, is a kitchen’s best friend.”
He worked the grill over the weekend to understand what an employee would experience, and by Saturday night, he and his wife decided they would close early on Sunday.
“We were just like, ‘Yeah, we can’t do it,’” he recalled. “It’s just not worth it.”
He is not alone. Many restaurants that attempted to tough it out Sunday ended up closing early. Others closed their patios so as to not open the door and let the cool interior air escape. Even those iconic spots like Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor — which has been on an 90-minute-plus wait on recent sunny weekends — had a shorter wait time Sunday but ultimately closed Monday.
Like most every other business that made that call, according to social media posts, the decision was made in the interest of the staff’s safety.
Down the street from Spanky, you can still buy a cold-pressed juice or a smoothie bowl at Gather Juice Co. today, but the cafe has not yet reopened indoor seating. You can snag cold refreshments at Beeyond Smoothie, a new drive-thru shop in Lakewood, but again, they are closing early. In Puyallup, Charlie’s Restaurant will serve drinks tonight but no food.
Sticking to its mantra of always being there for those who need a place to relax, Doyle’s Public House in Tacoma’s Stadium District posted that the restaurant is open with air-conditioning.
Monday is a common off-day for restaurants as it is. They’ll be back tomorrow, along with more tolerable but still hot temperatures.
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Too hot to cook: Heat wave closes many restaurants in Western Washington."