Restaurant Chain Adds 'Living Wage' Charge to All Bills, Plus More Intel

Living wage

The Seattle-based company Restaurants Unlimited, Inc., which owns Cutters Crab House and Maggie Bluffs, among others, is now adding a one-percent "livable wage" surcharge to customer bills. Eater Portland reports. [EPDX]

Japanese barbecue

Thanks to multiple tipsters, it's now clear that worldwide Japanese barbecue chain Gyu-Kaku is opening its first Washington store at 14506 NE 20th St in Bellevue. There's no indication on the company website, but the restaurant has signs up and is hiring now. [Craigslist]

Waste not, want not

Last weekend, farmers market staple The Brewmaster's Bakery opened its brick-and-mortar, The Brewmaster's Taproom. The company bakes bread, cookies, and other goodies using beer and spent grain (typically a compostable byproduct of brewing) from local breweries; now it also serves those brewers' beers on tap at 2000 Benson Road S. in Renton. [EaterWire]

Changing hands

After Spur Gastropub then Old Sage closed, sibling bar Tavern Law seemed to be living on borrowed time. Now, Capitol Hill Seattle blog reports that Mark O'Shea and Derek Straight have purchased the Capitol Hill cocktail bar from co-founder Brian McCracken, who has filed for bankruptcy. No word on future plans for the business, which remains open. [CHS]

Seahawks on the wings

Wingstop franchisee Greg Southern has teamed up with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman to open a branch of the chain in West Seattle. West Seattle Herald says it's the first but not the last for the football star, who, like former teammate Sidney Rice, plans to open more locations with Southern. Find the latest Seahawk-approved site at 2600 SW Barton in Westwood Village. [WSH]

A dozen scoops, please

A tipster notes that Hillman City has a new ice cream shop: 12 Scoops at 4267 S Orcas St, not far from a Full Tilt location and Molly Moon's planned Columbia City expansion. The Columbia City Facebook group has a thread where commenters are impressed by the store's homemade ice cream. [EaterWire]