One of Tacoma’s best restaurants has new owners. What will that mean for Primo Grill?

Chef Charlie McManus and partner Jacqueline Plattner have spent most every day of the past 25 years in their beloved Tacoma restaurant, and their dedication has nurtured one of the region’s premier destinations for seasonal food, wine and cocktails. Their presence in all of that will soon change — because they are retiring!

To answer your pressing question (and mine): Primo Grill will remain Primo Grill.

The new owners, Seth and Rebekah Rose, officially took the reins Jan. 1. They have committed to carrying the Primo Grill torch in full force, from the food and the concept to the space and the staff.

The kitchen is now led by Ben Perez and Jorge Balam-Chuc, both of whom cooked alongside McManus for many years. The front-of-house will continue under the wings of Rachel Baker, who also joined the team almost a decade ago.

Although the Roses plan to become familiar faces at the restaurant, they have entrusted the tenured staff to do what they do best. Primo, they said in an interview, would not be successful were it not for its team.

“They make it what it is,” Seth Rose said.

As the new proprietors, their main goal is to nurture what McManus and Plattner built. They want to support the staff with the tools, resources, ingredients and confidence to continue cooking high-quality meals with kind hospitality — Primo’s M.O. over a quarter-century.

“That was important to us — that their jobs be preserved,” said Plattner in a phone call.

They said the Roses agreed also to retain the benefits, including a retirement plan and healthcare — both of which are still not an industry norm.

The decision to sell had been on their minds, particularly since the difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is bittersweet for me, but I’m glad that we have sold it,” said McManus. “COVID kind of left us gasping, and the last two years, we were aging out of our abilities to really drive the restaurant,” and, Plattner chimed in, “to run it like we always ran it.”

“We got through it and then we were very busy,” she continued, “but it takes a lot of stamina.”

TNT Diner spoke with the couple in October about a major milestone: 25 years of Primo.

They originally opened in 1999 just down the street, in what is now The Original House of Pancakes. They moved to the much bigger corner unit at Sixth and Oakes in 2015 after buying the building in 2007 and briefly operating Crown Bar.

“I thought we were super cutting-edge — I don’t think we are now. But we are a super-quality, consistent restaurant, with a creative niche,” McManus reflected last fall.

They made pasta from-scratch, which they still do today, and sourdough pizza with what is now a decades-old biga. Meat, fish and veggies are sourced as locally and delivered as frequently as possible. Simple choices of using only high-quality olive oil and a specific 8-year-old balsamic vinegar have also helped the restaurant stand out.

They insinuated during October’s conversation that perhaps their retirement was nigh — both are in their 60s, and McManus, who was still on the line, has been cooking for 45 years — but details were left unspoken then.

A NEW ERA FOR PRIMO GRILL

The couple had been approached by other buyers in recent years and, after putting it on the market, had turned down a couple of offers. Being hands-on owners since Day 1, they didn’t want to sell it to someone who lived far away or who had eyes on the space but not so much for Primo.

“Restaurants are really emotional,” said McManus. “I’ve been doing this in Tacoma since 1993” — he moved to town for a job at what is now Hotel Murano. “People remember the meal they had when something happened … it’s the memories.”

When they met Seth and Rebekah, they felt like they had found the right mix of youth, energy and a commitment to sustain a restaurant that had proven it “could stand the test of time,” continued the chef.

The Roses are not hospitality professionals by trade. Seth has worked as a union electrician and Rebekah is a lifestyle photographer. Together they are raising four children in their Lake Tapps home. A few years ago, they purchased a Quizno’s franchise, and that experience instilled a desire to pursue a full-service restaurant, a business that “can’t be online,” said Seth.

The broker told them that McManus and Plattner were “being very particular” about potential buyers, Seth recalled. They first met mid-year and then again a few months later.

“I liked them right off the bat,” said Seth. “It’s a very unique place. I like that it’s fun, high-quality, top-tier, as fresh as you can get. I just want to make it last.”

They hope to allow the staff opportunity to grow in their positions, while they manage the tedious parts of running a restaurant like ordering, payroll, taxes and licenses.

McManus and Plattner were in and out of the restaurant in January, introducing the Roses to regulars and showing them the all-around ropes, but will step back this month. They have agreed to stay on-call through early spring “or really whenever they need us,” said the chef. “We own the building, so we’re very vested in their success.”

They feel fortunate to have found a buyer who “values what we’ve built,” added Plattner, and to have found a buyer at all. Just after their 25th anniversary, while visiting family in Tucson, she read in the local paper about a longtime restaurant, owned by a married couple, that was just closing up shop. They didn’t want their pride and joy to meet that end.

“We loved on Primo pretty good,” she continued. “It was an asset for us. But when you’re mom-and-pops, you can’t put in your notice and retire. You have to manufacture your retirement.”

Asked if they had parting words for Tacoma, they said thank you — “what a wonderful run.”

For the Roses, changes are not the point, but one thing that is already different: more frequent posting of specials on social media, including the recent orange-laced ricotta cheesecake with raspberry coulis, grilled duck breast with saba and roasted grapes, and lamb chops with rainbow carrots and salsa verde.

PRIMO GRILL

▪ 2701 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-383-7000, primogrilltacoma.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 4-10 p.m., Sunday 4-8 p.m.

▪ Details: 25-year-old Mediterranean, by way of PNW, restaurant under new ownership

This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 10:37 AM.