Long rumored, Seattle burger chain says it will open a Tacoma restaurant
One of Seattle’s most influential tastemakers will expand his burger-and-shake concept south to Tacoma by early next year.
Owner Marcus Lalario confirmed Friday that he and his team plan to open a Lil Woody’s restaurant in the Stadium District as soon as the end of 2025 but more likely the beginning of 2026.
The first Lil Woody’s opened in Capitol Hill in 2012, ahead of the burger curve. Self-described as “the best backyard burger you’ve ever had,” the brand operates three shops in Seattle, one at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and one in Tokyo, Japan.
The Puget Sound Business Journal reported last week that Lil Woody’s would move into 29 N. Tacoma — the former home of the Harvester diner that closed in 2023 after 90-plus years. Reached by email, the building’s leasing agent, Kyle Prosser of Tacoma-based Lee and Associates, directed The News Tribune to Lil Woody’s media spokesperson.
Initial permitting for tenant improvement at the site was filed with the City of Tacoma at the end of April. It called for a new storefront entrance, demolishing interior walls and plumbing work “to accommodate future tenant improvements.”
An LLC affiliated with Joe Mayer of Mayer Built Homes in Tacoma purchased the property in October 2024 for $4 million. Mayer’s other properties include 23 Broadway Apartments, which began leasing late last year.
The historic nature of the building and the character of the neighborhood attracted Lalario to the North End of Tacoma. He had been looking for the right space for several years, he said in a phone interview with The News Tribune, and several almost-winners fell through for one reason or another.
“I’ve always been a fan of Tacoma,” he said, noting active conversations with Prosser and the Downtown Tacoma Partnership. In addition to having friends in town, he added, “more and more” are choosing Tacoma, too. “I just felt it could be a cool fit, and I have community there.”
Lalario has been intimately involved in the Seattle arts and music scene since the 1990s, which led to fashion ventures and, in the early 2010s, the restaurant business. The family of brands, Sugar Shack Unlimited, has grown through collaborations with friends and chefs to include Fat’s Chicken and Waffles, the Middle Eastern-inspired Ciudad, the Italian Mezzanotte in Georgetown and spin-off cafe Darkalino’s, the latter of which is attached to Hometeam, a streetwear store in Pioneer Square.
Lil Woody’s is “just your classic burger joint,” said Lalario, inspired by places with great burgers and a great brand he visited on band tours.
Speaking at a City of Tacoma business panel with other restaurateurs last August, Lalario shared that he was considering a space in the area.
LIL WOODY’S EYES TACOMA
The Tacoma outpost will look and feel similar to its predecessors in Seattle, serving the same menu of quarter-pound specialty burgers with a build-your-own option (starting at $8.50), sandwiches and hand-cut fries ($4-$6 or $9 with house queso or a mini shake to dip). Beyond the flagship with cheddar, chopped onions, diced pickles, ketchup and mayo, house numbers range from a New Mexican with roasted hatch chiles to the Fig and Pig with house-pickled fig spread, bacon and bleu cheese.
Ingredients focus on Northwest products, including custom buns from Franz Bakery, Royal Ranch grass-fed beef, bacon from Hill’s Meat Co. in Pendleton and Tillamook cheese and ice cream.
In recent years, Lil Woody’s has supported a “Burger 4 Burger” campaign with its monthly or bi-monthly collaboration burger specials that, according to Seattle Met, had become “events.” For every one purchased that week or on certain days (usually Monday, said Lalario), the company donates a burger to a nonprofit, school or community in need, especially youth programs. A tracker on the website counts more than 18,000 donated burgers since 2020.
That probably will be the biggest change to the Lil Woody’s empire when Tacoma comes online: more Tacoma brands, businesses and organizations in the mix.
Whether Stadium needs another burger joint might be arguable to some, as Shake Shake Shake has been down the street since 2015. Lalario said he reached out to introduce himself.
When the first Lil Woody’s debuted in Capitol Hill, he said, “There weren’t too many burger joints. Now there’s a bunch.”
LIL WOODY’S TACOMA
▪ Anticipated location: 29 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, lilwoodys.com
▪ Details: counter-service burger and shake restaurant from Seattle-based group, target opening early 2026
The News Tribune’s Debbie Cockrell contributed to this report.
