A Puyallup diner that closed after 48 years is being demolished. Here’s what we know
A restaurant near the Puyallup fairgrounds may look different if you haven’t driven by it lately.
The top portion of the building that used to house Cattin’s Family Restaurant has been demolished. The sign that used to have the restaurant’s name at 105 9th Ave. SW is also gone.
When asked about the roof, Washington State Fair spokesperson Stacy Van Horne said, “the building was no longer structurally sound,” and that the whole building has to come down. Long-term plans for the property have yet to be determined, she said.
A company associated with the fair bought the 3,800-square-foot property in 2014 for $1.5 million, The News Tribune reported last year.
The fair used the property last year as VIP parking for those who purchased concert tickets first, Van Horne said. The fair plans to do the same thing this year, she said.
The News Tribune reported last year that Cattin’s closed July 30. Owner Hermann Harris broke the news on a piece of paper taped to the entrance door. The restaurant served the community and visitors for 48 years.
“The ma-and-pa-type restaurant, we’re kind of a dying industry. I hate to say that,” Harris told The News Tribune last year. “Especially in the Puyallup area, it’s all about burger and brew.”
Business at Cattin’s restaurant decreased by about 60 percent when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Harris told The News Tribune. Higher costs of food items, such as bacon, also played a role.
