After 13 years on East Pike Street, owner James Snyder said the bar is closing due to rising labor costs and high rent.
SEATTLE — The final weekend in business for Sam’s Tavern, Seattle’s historic Capitol Hill bar, drew crowds, emotional farewells and uncertainty about what comes next. One of the most famous nightlife spots in the area.
After 13 years on East Pike Street, owner James Snyder said the bar is closing due to rising labor costs, high rents and lasting changes to Seattle’s nightlife economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Trying to keep this place open after COVID hit was the most challenging job of my life,” Snyder said. “So, I’m very proud that we got to this point. We probably should have closed a year ago, maybe even longer.”
Patrons packed into the dimly lit tavern on Saturday night for one last weekend of drinks, burgers and memories at a bar where many consider it more than just a place to eat or drink.
“It’s deeper than the bar,” customer Sizzle Myers said. “This is the central hub of Capitol Hill.”
The Capitol Hill location was created as a tribute to Seattle’s original Sam’s Tavern, a 1940s burger tavern that eventually became the first Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant.
The original restaurant, called Sam’s Red Robin, was purchased by Gerry Kingen in 1969 and renamed near Seattle’s University Bridge, eventually developing into the national chain restaurant it is today.
Snyder’s Capitol Hill Pub is known for its nostalgic roadside bar vibe, burgers and oversized Bloody Marys piled high with bacon and garnishes. Over the years, it also became the hub of Seattle’s Pike/Pine nightlife district, attracting regulars, sports fans and the late-night crowd.
But Snyder said operating a restaurant and bar in Seattle has become increasingly difficult.
Seattle restaurant operators tend to have lower profit margins than the national average while facing some of the highest labor and operating costs in the country, according to the Washington Hospitality Association.
Snyder said labor costs are the biggest challenge.
“I’m all for paying employees higher wages,” Snyder said. Advertisement
Seattle’s minimum wage law does not allow for the lower tipped wage system common in other states, meaning restaurant owners must pay the full minimum wage regardless of tips.
Nightlife habits have also changed dramatically post-pandemic, Snyder said, leaving many bars struggling to regain a consistent late-night crowd.
“Any time you sell or close a bar, there’s a transition period,” Snyder said. “So it’s delicate. It’s challenging to keep everyone happy, but my goal all along is to try and keep the bar open.”
For employees and longtime customers, the closing feels deeply personal.
Security guard Lady P said a bartender had worked on the corner for more than a decade.
“One of my closest friends, Abby, she’s been bartending here for 13 years,” Lady P said. “So it was kind of a culture shock for us because she’s been on this corner for 13 years. So we were like, what are we going to do? Like, where are we going to go?”
Adding, “This is the end of an era. That’s it.”
Some patrons came especially for the final weekend.
“I flew back a day early because I wanted to spend my last day here,” said patron Demetrius Rashon. “I’m not going to miss this, not because of the space, but because of the people.”
Despite the closure, Snyder said he’s optimistic about the brand’s future.
He confirmed he sold the business and planned to exit the business, but said he also sold the rights to the Sam’s Tavern Capitol Hill name. Snyder said he hopes the new ownership group will eventually reopen a version of the bar in the same location.
For now, though, regulars are preparing to say goodbye to a bar many consider part of the Capitol Hill icon.
