Fast food restaurants today aren’t just about burgers; they also offer “healthier” options while still maintaining the fast-food label, as is the case with Homegrown. The chain abruptly closed all its remaining locations following reports that its license had been revoked. “From what we know, it’s temporary,” an anonymous customer service representative told the Puget Sound Business Journal. But the Homegrown location in downtown Seattle, along with its Mercer Island location, closed its doors on Tuesday with a sign posted in the window announcing the closure.
The notice, posted by the Washington State Department of Revenue, revoked the business license
According to My North West, the Seattle location had a notice posted on its front door detailing over $472,000 in unpaid taxes. The notice, posted by the Washington State Department of Revenue, revoked the business license. No further details have been released regarding the Seattle store’s closure, although the chain has stated that its Mercer Island location was closed for maintenance.
The July 2024 decision was due to the economic impact of rising labor costs and food prices, as Brad Gillis explains
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Homegrown has closed locations. In July 2024, the company closed 10 of its sandwich shops in King County, including those in Capitol Hill, Kirkland, Queen Anne, Redmond, South Lake Union, Southcenter, and U-Village. These closures resulted in the layoff of 158 employees. According to the website of Joe’s Crab Shack, the seafood chain currently has only 15 stores open across Texas, Tennessee, Florida, California, Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina. Brad Gillis, CEO and co-founder of Homegrown, stated that the July 2024 decision was due to the economic impact of rising labor costs and food prices.
“This decision was incredibly difficult to make, but one that we feel was absolutely necessary”
This isn’t the first time a chain like this has closed its doors, and it’s certainly never an easy decision. “This decision was incredibly difficult to make, but one that we feel was absolutely necessary,” Gillis said. Many residents are disappointed by this decision, as the chain had become a go-to option for many. Not everyone has the time to prepare their own meals and ends up having lunch at Homegrown, or it had simply become a regular stop. “Through our two remaining stores, we will continue our mission of ‘growing with purpose,’ serving our communities with quality, sustainable food, and playing our part in changing the food system so future generations can live in greater harmony with the earth,” Gillis concluded.
Many restaurants and businesses have had to close due to the rise of food delivery, online sales, and especially the tariffs and high inflation
Following this trend of chain closures or the closure of some locations of major food chains, we can mention Joe’s Crab Shack, which once had almost 150 locations but now only has 15. According to Yahoo, the most recent closures occurred in Florida, Texas, and California. It’s important to remember that the 2020 pandemic led many businesses to operate at a loss, especially those that relied on direct sales to customers confined to their homes. After this setback, many restaurants and businesses managed to stay afloat, but now, with the rise of food delivery, online sales, and especially the tariffs and high inflation the country is experiencing, many restaurants have had to close.
In its early days, The Seattle Times described the shop like this: “Don’t you know Homegrown? Imagine a socially conscious sandwich shop. A very eco-friendly business: certified organic ingredients when available, local when possible, recyclable or compostable packaging.” It remains to be seen how the situation will turn out and if the sandwich shop will ultimately succeed.
