Times are tough, that we know. Here's another example: Juno, the gourmet restaurant in the recently reopened Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle, is downshifting from "fine dining" to "urban casual." Nothing's being sold, nothing's closing, but still.
Executive chef Thomas Kolasch had the unenviable task of providing everything from hotel breakfasts to business lunches to banquets, leading to a "jeans one day, tux the next" menu. Many items were stunningly delicious like the red royal prawns and the sorbet intermezzo (photo), others not so much, but it was the pricing (high $20s, up to $35 for the rib-eye) that didn't work.
The hotel itself is also changing its focus. Stan Kott, the GM, says it will "rebrand" its amenities and services from high-end four-diamond to a less luxurious three-diamond level, and affiliate with a national franchise. (Look for one of the Marriott or Hilton brands.)
“Recent economic factors are driving the Arctic Club Hotel ownership to make [this] decision," says Kott. That ownership, which is based in Spokane and for whom the Arctic Club was the only luxury property, is probably more comfortable in the mid-range at any rate. Whether they'll keep the talented Kolasch to run the "repositioned" restaurant isn't as clear.
Posted by Ronald Holden at January 17, 2009 12:00 PM
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Times are tough, that we know. Here's another example: Juno, the gourmet restaurant in the recently reopened Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle, is downshifting from "fine dining" to "urban casual." Nothing's being sold, nothing's closing, but still.
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