It served Tacoma in one form or other for 93 years. Now this diner has closed forever

The Harvester, an icon of Tacoma’s restaurant scene and an anchor of the Stadium District, has closed permanently.

A for-lease sign has been affixed to the century-old space on the corner of North Tacoma Avenue and North 1st Street. The website says “CLOSED! Thank you for your business,” and Dan Tweten, whose grandparents bought the business in 1973, confirmed the May 31 closure on Tuesday.

“It’s certainly a sad day for us closing the Harvester,” he said by email. “It is where our company got its start.”

Outside of pandemic-related challenges, from higher ingredient costs to under-staffing, he pointed to the “never-ending Sound Transit construction” as the ultimate harbinger of the decision.

“The repeated closures of streets and sidewalks, the portable toilets parked in front of our front door and the utter and total lack of support from Sound Transit for the past five years meant it was impossible to build any kind of momentum,” he said.

“The pandemic and lingering challenges related to supply and staffing definitely didn’t help,” he added, “but weren’t the largest contributors to closing. We’ve been managing those at our other locations as well. Tough to operate a business when you have fencing surrounding your building or the customers can’t access it.”

David Jackson, spokesperson for Sound Transit, responded on Wednesday that the agency “works closely with businesses to ameliorate construction impacts throughout the project process.” He referenced its Loyal to the Local program, which highlights local spots along impacted routes, and promotion by social media and email campaigns. “We are sorry to learn of the Harvester’s closure and wish them the best in the future,” he said.

After several delays, the Link extension, which will connect the downtown stations up through the Stadium District to Hilltop, is scheduled to open by fall, according to a March update presented to Tacoma City Council.

In a phone call Wednesday, Tweten told The News Tribune that saying goodbye to Harvester was necessary to ensure the rest of the company’s survival.

“To be brutally honest, if we didn’t, I wouldn’t have a job,” he said. “We’re thankful that we have these other restaurants.”

ANOTHER TACOMA DINER CLOSES

As the Sound Restaurant Family, Tweten, with his brother Jonathan and their father Tim, also operate the beloved Hob Nob across from Wright Park, Knapp’s in the Proctor District, The Poodle Dog in Fife and Burs Restaurant and Lounge in Lakewood. Outside the diner framework, the younger Twetens expanded their reach with Powerhouse Brewery and Restaurant in Puyallup and Coastal Kitchen in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

A relative, Kirby Tweten, ran the late Harvester Restaurant in Gig Harbor, a breakfast staple of the waterfront town from 1984 to 2021. A local attorney bought the business and franchised it with Original House of Pancakes.

In 1993, Tim Tweten bought The Harvester in Tacoma from his parents, who had taken the reins in 1973, renaming the restaurant from its original vestige as Scotty’s. The history of the diner dates back even further: In 1930, David “Scotty” Raymore opened his namesake eatery, according to Tacoma Public Library archives — although Dan Tweten recalls the name as inspired by a Scottish terrier. Joe Carbone bought it 13 years later. County councilmember Marty Campbell also ran a beloved video store below the restaurant from 1993 through 2012.

The diner has been a fixture of the Stadium District for more than 90 years — 50 as The Harvester, spanning multiple generations. It had returned to seven-day-a-week dining last year.

“We are immensely grateful to the Stadium District and the City of Tacoma for so many years of support,” said Dan Tweten. “We are currently in the process of trying to place staff in our other locations and are excited for the next opportunity.”

He encouraged customers to instead settle into some benedicts and hot coffee at Hob Nob, just a half-mile away, and Knapp’s about two miles west.

Asked if he would advise another restaurateur to try this old corner, he replied, “I would say sure — just wait until Sound Transit was done I guess! It was a great location for how long we had it, forever. It really is. Someone will be successful there in the future.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2023 at 12:55 PM.