Last week my wife and I were standing in line at Molly Moon’s when the communal chatter came to the subject of the sadly crumbling Kitaro Sushi/Bento. “I heard that grumpy dude took the insurance money and moved to Belize,” said one fellow. “No, no, no, the owners live in Greenlake, they lost everything. They had no insurance,” said another. “Maybe Molly Moon’s is expanding, so we don’t have to wait in line!” said someone else. Perfectly on cue there was this loud clamoring inside. It seemed way too late to be anything legitimate, but someone was doing some sort to activity in the wreckage, and it got me to hoping that restorations might be in store. Someone else in line called the police and was directed to the non-emergency number. The line moved forward, life went on.
With curiousity piqued, a few days later, I called the Seattle Department of Planning & Development just to see what the status of the building was; because it sure is an eyesore, and it seems like no one has been restoring it, in over a year since the fire. I was informed that the property was officially listed as “vacated”, but still legally owned by the same person that owned Kitaro. Per DPD, it is the owner(s) responsibility to make sure the property was covered (so the interior is not exposed to elements), and that it is completely locked and inaccessible, (otherwise it represents a safety hazard, possible transient dwelling etc. and therefore a DPD code violation). In 2012 the owner(s) had, in fact, been issued a violation, and had complied in the months following the fire, however the most recently evident conditions lead one to believe that Kitaro was being neglected once again. Bryan Stevens with the Seattle DPD told me that another formal code violation had been issued as of Jan 16, 2013, and the owners have a month to bring the structure back into compliance. He went on to explain that, like it or not, if the owners are up to date on their property taxes, and they maintain code compliance, they could, ostensibly leave the building in it current state of disrepair indefinitely.
My next step was to try and contact the owners to set the record straight. The number to Kitaro was, not surprisingly, out of order. But eventually, through the magic of the internet, I was able to talk to Eugene Son, who is the owner of record. I explained that I was nothing more than a curious neighbor, and that I wanted to provide an update for the Wallyhood Blog. Eugene was pleasant and cooperative, and said, in so many words, that he knows the building is not so pretty to look at in it’s present condition. But he and his family said they have the intention of rebuilding the business, and no interest in selling the lot. “I hope the Wallingford community can be patient while we work through a solution to getting our restaurant back in order.” When asked about a timeline, even a loose one, he had no comment.
So this answers some questions, and creates others. But I can tell you that no one moved to Belize.
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Intentions are wonderful things. But if they don’t have the ability to take adequate care of their property, they should sell to someone that does. Seems to me someplace like that becomes a vermin habitat pretty quickly, not to mention a depressing effect on the other businesses in the area, both emotionally and financially. Except Molly Moon’s which could probably survive the Apocalypse.
thank you for the info
Thanks for the update! I have been wondering about this place…by now I had assumed there was no hope of them reopening, but maybe there is a little bit of hope? Definitely sounds like they need to put more effort in to make that happen, though!
I miss Kitaro’s wonderful selection of vegan sushi!
So, on a side note.. the old Winchells which is still awful-looking/.. who is responsible for that? Can it be declared abandonned or neglected?
From walking/driving by, it seems to me like the food trucks near Winchells are using it as storage. Anyone else get that impression?
Kitaro has been vacant since I moved here and I always wondered what the deal was. Walking by can be tricky on the nose…inhale the deliciousness of Molly Moon’s, one more step and you’re inhaling some horrible dead animal smell from the alley in between there and Kitaro.
Thank you for this investigation. Abandoned buildings, especially those on a main street, invite crime and create general bad vibes. Hope that both Winchell’s and Kiatro’s spaces can be renovated soon.
So, the owner said “he and his family… have the intention of rebuilding the business, and no interest in selling the lot. “(he) hope(s) the Wallingford community can be patient while we work through a solution to getting our restaurant back in order.”
Causing our friend Margaret to comment, “When asked about a timeline, even a loose one, he had no comment.”
They must be enjoying multiple revenue streams. If I was in their place I’d be eager to get back to work.
(quote) “Molly Moon’s… could probably survive the Apocalypse.”
Try the new Crunchy Zombie Frog Ice Cream!
“…if we took the bones out, it wouldn’t be CRUNCHY, would it?”
“To protect us from spam bots commenting:
5 + 4 = ?”
puny hu-mans!
nein nein nein!
I thought that the food trucks’ food is actually prepared in Winchell’s, since the city requires all food truck food to be actually prepared off premises in a kitchen.
I just wanted to add my little note that the family who owned Kitaro were very friendly and nice people. I think the man (the cook in the restaurant) was just quiet and really enjoyed his cooking. I would never have described him as grumpy. There are a very nice family. I’m sad they are gone — the food was wonderful — even if the restaurant was kind of funky. It was a nice neighborhood option.
They are not gone. They live near us. The place is still a health hazard, pedestrian hazard, and a vagrant hangout. I write this four years after your comment.
As a small business owner myself, it takes a lot to get a business open, or re-opened for that matter. Is it not entirely possible that while the owners are keeping up on the property taxes, they don’t have enough capital to open the business, pay for permits, etc. etc.? Perhaps they are just getting by. Some compassion, please.
Eight years of compassion? While it remains a health hazard, pedestrian hazard and a place where drug deals occur in the back. I am out of compassions. Molly Moon’s has tried to purchase it several times. They refuse .