Bakeman’s Restaurant, a Seattle Classic, Will Shutter December 22

Beloved for its turkey sandwiches and cafeteria-style lunches, Bakeman’s Restaurant will end its run as a downtown Seattle fixture after service on December 22. Owner Jason Wang, whose father opened the restaurant in 1970, cites his retirement as the reason behind the decision.

“Business is still great,” Wang told Seattle magazine. “It’s actually the best it’s been in years.”

The magazine reported that Wang had planned to sell Bakeman’s, but the deal fell through when the owners of the building said the buyer must help pay for extensive renovations to the restaurant. Wang offered to help move Bakeman’s to another space, but it wasn’t enough to save the sale.

Do classic restaurants like Bakeman’s have a place in Seattle’s red-hot restaurant scene, where it seems newer, flashier openings capture all the attention? With recent closures of other institutions like Babirusa, The People’s Pub, Dot’s, and Tini Bigs, it would certainly seem like they face an uphill battle.