SLU Restaurant Closes Again Out of Concern for Family Affected by the Coronavirus

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SLU Restaurant Closes Out of Concern for Family Affected by the Coronavirus [UPDATED]

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Zheng Cafe. The Chinese street food restaurant in South Lake Union closed on the first day of the Lunar New Year out of concern for co-owner Jing Wetzel’s family back in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the recent coronavirus outbreak. According to a recent KOMO report, Jing’s parents have been quarantined, and her aunt and uncle tested positive for the disease. Jing said she closed the restaurant because it has been difficult to focus on anything else, understandably. In the meantime, the Wetzels aimed to collect supplies, including alcohol wipes and face masks, for those affected by the coronavirus in Wuhan, and planned to accept donations from customers. But, after opening briefly last week, the restaurant closed again. “We still have not heard from Jing’s aunt and uncle,” Greg tells Eater Seattle. “We are hoping they are just in the hospital and cannot have access to cell phones. I need to worry and take care of my family first. When the scare is over, we will try to reopen.”

Dynasty Room Gets a Six-Month Reprieve from Closing

Here’s cause to raise a glass. Dynasty Room — the striking, semi-permanent bar inside Chinatown-International District’s iconic Four Seas Restaurant — will not close in February as originally planned, but will carry on for at least six more months, according to the official CID community Facebook page. Four Seas Restaurant closed in fall 2017 to make way for a new, seven-story affordable housing building. But local bar mogul I-Miun Liu, who owns Oasis Tea Zone and Eastern Cafe, opened Dynasty Room in April 2018 as a temporary business in the restaurant’s old lounge space — yet it just seems to keep going and going. The business won Eater Seattle’s 2018 Bar of the Year and avoided a scheduled closing last summer as well.

The Flour Box Launches Kickstarter to for Its New Hillman City Location

One big doughnut shop project is turning to crowdsourcing. The Flour Box — a popular pop-up from self-taught baker Pamela Vuong, known for its plush brioche doughnuts — is about to open a permanent spot in Hillman City, and has now launched a Kickstarter campaign to help with equipment, renovations, and other final costs. Vuong aims to open by spring and has set a goal of $85,000 for the Kickstarter, with various rewards, from free doughnuts to an exclusive tasting event, depending on the pledge amount. At press time, the campaign had raised around $56,000.

UPDATE, February 5, 2020, 11:42 a.m.: The item about Zheng Cafe was updated with information about the restaurant closing again due to family concerns.