Iconic waterfront restaurant in Pierce County is being sold, owners confirm
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Anthony’s Restaurants will acquire Tides Tavern, keeping its name and management.
- Sale aims to close within four weeks; chef stays and staff are invited to continue.
- Family-owned Anthony’s pledges to preserve Tides’ legacy and waterfront presence.
The owner of the Tides Tavern will soon hand over the reins to Anthony’s Restaurants, marking a new era for the iconic Gig Harbor restaurant while retaining its name, chef and management staff.
“This was not an easy decision,” Tides Tavern owner Dylan Stanley said in a press release Jan. 13. “The Tides has been part of our family for 53 years. My dad and I are incredibly grateful to our loyal customers, employees, and the community for their support over the years, and we are grateful that Anthony’s, another family-owned company, will steward it in a way that honors its legacy and keeps the Tides unique and special in the decades to come.”
Chef John-Vincent Palacio, general manager Kristin Bergeson and management staff will continue working under Anthony’s, he continued.
“If all goes well, we hope to complete the sale within the next 4 weeks,” Stanley said in the release.
Tides Tavern at 2925 Harborview Dr. has been serving locals and tourists in town since 1973, when Dylan’s father Peter Stanley purchased the business from a colorful entertainer, “3 Fingered Jack,” who played music at the bar and operated it from 1969-1973, The News Tribune reported.
Peter, who was raised in New England, fell for the old-wood structure right on the harbor. With the help of crafty friends, he fixed up the building, added a dock, eventually removed the pool tables, expanded the bar three times and, in the mid-90s, added liquor while retaining the “tavern” name and no-minors M.O. Dylan took over in 2012.
A seat on The Tides’ deck is coveted real estate — expect to wait at least an hour on warm, sunny days — and the bar is always bustling.
Three years ago, the restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Meanwhile, Anthony’s Restaurants is a regional seafood dining chain with waterfront locations throughout the Pacific Northwest, including one not far from the Tides Tavern. Anthony’s at Gig Harbor is located at 8827 N. Harborview Dr. The Kirkland-based company also owns three restaurants in Tacoma, including the namesake at Point Defiance and Harbor Lights on Ruston Way. It also scooped up Boathouse 19 in 2022.
The press release said that Tides Tavern employees will soon meet “with the Anthony’s team, who are hopeful that the entire staff will choose to continue on under their ownership.”
In a 2023 interview, Dylan Stanley told The News Tribune that the business, despite kitchen expansions and the addition of table service, remains at heart a neighborhood tavern in a small town.
“It’s still really Gig Harbor. The heart of the people, and that small-town vibe, remains,” he said. “I can’t think of a better place to have a family and run a business.”
At the time, The Tides employed around 85 people in the winter and more than 100 during the peak summer season, according to Dylan Stanley.
“Tides Tavern is a treasured part of the Gig Harbor community, and we’re honored to be entrusted with its next chapter,” Amy Burns, president and CEO of Anthony’s Restaurants said in the press release. “My father, Budd Gould, and my brothers, Herb and JJ Gould, share a deep respect for what the Stanley family has built. As fate would have it, my father started Anthony’s 53 years ago as well, committed to upholding the same care, warmth, and Northwest hospitality that have made the Tides such an important gathering place for generations.”
The Tides is currently open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a happy hour Sunday to Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. The restaurant also provides dock service on Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 8 p.m., according to their website. The restaurant is 21+.
Tides will still be the Tides, owner says
Dylan Stanley expressed confidence in a phone call Wednesday morning that Anthony’s respects the Tides’ history and wants to keep it the same as it is now, from the menu to the artwork.
“ ... in a perfect world, we wouldn’t even have to disclose there was a change of ownership, and nobody would know,” he said.
He also doesn’t expect parking to change. The Tides only has five or six parking stalls in the adjacent lot, and the city of Gig Harbor owns the rest, he said. The city’s parking map confirms that a public lot is located by the Tides.
The transition isn’t likely to lower the 21+ age requirement for entry, either.
“I don’t foresee any high chairs or coloring books in the future of the Tides,” he said, chuckling.
The family wasn’t looking to sell to just anyone, Stanley explained. They looked for a buyer who could run a restaurant of their size and intended to keep it the same.
“ ... my overall goal is that my dad and I can walk in here in six months and sit down and have a cheeseburger and feel just as comfortable as we do today,” he said.
Stanley spoke highly of meetings with Anthony’s leadership, saying that his father “hit it off” early with the chain’s founder Budd Gould. Anthony’s CEO Amy Burns is “fantastic, and I couldn’t be more confident about her and her family’s leadership ability,” he said.
The Tides’ management staff has met with Anthony’s team. The rest of the staff, who heard the news a few days ago, are “still processing,” but he thinks they trust his decision and his efforts to take care of and protect them through the transition, Stanley told The News Tribune.
Tides’ owner looks forward to some time off
Stanley’s been in the shadow of The Tides since he was a kid. He recalled tagging along to the Tides with his dad and the cook handing him hamburgers or french fries through the window. He’d head down to the docks to fish or just wait for his dad to finish work, he said.
“I think when it first started, my mom even had me in a little basket or something underneath the bar when it first opened,” he said. “I’ve been here for a long time.”
Asked why now was the right time for the transition, Stanley said he’s 56 years old this year and wants to spend more time with his family, particularly during the summer — the restaurant’s busiest season. He’d rather leave when the restaurant is doing well, before getting tired and burned out, he said.
“And I feel like I’d rather leave when I have the best chance of making sure that the Tides can still be the Tides, because it’s important to me, my family, Gig Harbor, all my employees,” he said. “ ... I’d like to leave at the top of my game, when, when things are good and this place has the best chance of succeeding.”
What does he wish for the restaurant’s next chapter?
“To have an establishment like this, be family-run for 50 something years, and to still be vibrant, and something that people care about immensely is amazing, and it’s a huge honor,” he said. “And I hope that that legacy continues.”
“I think it will,” he added.
Staff writer Kristine Sherred contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional background information about the Tides Tavern and additional comments from the Tides Tavern owner.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 6:40 PM.
