Closed After All: Madrona Eatery and Ale House

Last week, Eater brought word that after two decades, owner Burke Shethar would be closing Madrona Eatery and Ale House. Then, bright news: the restaurant would not shutter after all, he told Eater, as a Madrona couple, Peter and Adrianna Johnson, had arranged to lease the property and planned to continue operating it as a tavern. Now, however, it turns out that although the Johnsons will be taking possession when Shethar's lease expires at the end of July, they did not buy the Madrona Ale House name or liquor license. As a result, the space will be closed for the next 45 to 90 days as the new permitting and liquor license process goes through.

To eliminate confusion, when people buy restaurants as "going concerns," names and liquor licenses are transferred with them. In this case, the restaurant was not sold as a going concern; the property was leased on its own.