Fans Rally to Save Central District Ethiopian Restaurant From Development

Welcome back to Eater News, a semi-regular round-up of mini news bites. Have info to share? Email intel to seattle@eater.com.

• Scandinavian-influenced Byen Bakeri is getting a new look. The new owners, pastry chef Rachel Antalek and business partner Larry Walsh, are keeping the bakery fully open while they renovate the space.
• A slew of top local chefs have created +togetherSeattle in reaction to the crisis of immigrant family separation and other human rights issues. Founders include Terra Plata’s Tamara Murphy, Volunteer Park Cafe’s Ericka Burke, Le Messe’s Brian Clevenger, Neon Taco’s Monica Dimas, Ethan Stowell, and Lark’s John Sundstrom. The first event is November 14, with more than 116 local restaurants allying to raise funds for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
• A Change.org petition supported by Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant hopes to save the Central District’s Saba Ethiopian Cuisine. The building that houses the restaurant is for sale, and fans fear a new development on the property will exclude the 18-year-old business.
• University of Washington economists, who once said Seattle’s increasing minimum wage harmed workers, have released a new paper showing the opposite. The truth, it turns out, is nuanced.
• Seattle’s “soda tax” on sugar-sweetened beverages is on pace to bring in double the amount of revenue anticipated, which should be a boon for the healthy food and education programs set to receive most of that money. But now, Mayor Jenny Durkan is trying to spend the windfall elsewhere.