Business Briefs
June 9, 2009
Tutta Bella opens June 15
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria will open its Issaquah restaurant June 15. The pizzeria will be the Seattle-based chain’s first expansion to the Eastside.
The restaurant, at 715 N.W. Gilman Blvd., will open for dinner June 15. Lunch service will begin June 22. Hours will be 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The 6,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 210 with 40 seats on the outdoor terrace. Tutta Bella occupies a space last filled by Chili’s Grill & Bar.
Pizzas will be baked in two five-foot round marble-clad wood-burning ovens under the supervision of chef Anthony Ferrara. A local priest will bless the ovens June 13.
The ovens will be named Maria and Carolina, after the owner’s mother and Italian grandmother, respectively. Washington apple wood will fuel the ovens and generate an average cooking temperature of 850 degrees.
The menu will also feature calzones, antipasti, salads, house-made desserts and gelato.
Test drive new car to support Booster Club
The Booster Club at Issaquah High has teamed up with Michael’s Chevrolet of Issaquah to allow drivers over age 18 to test drive a new Chevrolet at the dealership, 1601 18th Ave. N.W., from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. June 13.
For every driver, Michael’s will donate $20 to the school’s booster club.
Drivers must have a valid license and proof of insurance.
Zeeks Pizza opening June 16
Zeeks Pizza will open in the Issaquah Highlands June 16, the second Eastside location for the Seattle-based chain and the first Zeeks to feature a full bar.
The Highlands restaurant will open at the intersection of 25th Avenue Northeast and Park Drive Northeast.
Owner Mark Mullet said he plans to hire about 30-40 employees. Zeeks will have seating for 100 patrons and include an outdoor patio.
Mullet said he was inspired to open a Zeeks after visiting the Belltown restaurant with his family. He said the neighborhood feel and mix of customers reminded him of the years he worked in the London financial district, where local pubs serve as gathering places for families and friends.
Zeeks is known for toppings-laden pizzas such as the Tree Hugger (sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, broccoli, Roma tomatoes, garlic and olives) and the Texas Leaguer (olive oil glaze, barbecue sauce, mozzarella, chicken, red onion and fresh cilantro).
Chipotle dishes up Northwest produce
The next time diners sink their teeth into the massive burritos at Chipotle Mexican Grill, chances are they’ll be eating produce grown in the Northwest.
The Issaquah restaurant, 775 N.W. Gilman Blvd., and eight other Seattle-area branches will receive green bell peppers and jalapenos from Fewel Farms in Prosser, oregano from Herbco in Duvall and red onions from River Point Farms in Oregon.
Chipotle also plans to serve hot burritos to farmers during a farmer appreciation day at area farmers markets, including the Issaquah Farmers Market. After each farmer appreciation day, Chipotle will host a fundraiser at the local restaurant to give back to the farmers market.
In 2008, the restaurant chain committed to buying at least 25 percent of at least one ingredient from small to midsize farms within 200 miles of each restaurant. Chipotle increased the percentage to 35 percent this year.
Talus building is finished
Talus Village Center, Building 4, an eight-unit single-family attached building, has received its final certificate of occupancy.
The building is at 2211 Talus Drive, and was constructed at a cost of $1.5 million.
WaMu banks become Chase
The tenant improvement at the former Washington Mutual Bank, 6100 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway (inside Fred Meyer), has been completed, and the bank is now rebranded as Chase Bank.
The WaMu bank at 1195 N.W. Gilman Blvd. has completed its signage change and is also now a Chase Bank.
Kumon opens in highlands
Kumon Math and Reading Center has opened its doors in the Issaquah Highlands at 1036 N.E. Park Drive, directly across from the new pond and walking area.
Kumon, an after-school math and reading program for children ages 3 to 18, works with families from the Highlands and Klahanie communities, as well as greater Issaquah, Bellevue and Sammamish.
Kumon of Issaquah, recently awarded Gold Elite status for student academic performance, opened its first Eastside location in 2004. Kumon was founded in Japan in 1958.
Business Briefs
May 19, 2009
Sammamish doctor honored by state chiropractic association
Business Briefs
May 5, 2009
Overlake in top five percent
New businesses
March 9, 2009
The Issaquah Chamber of Commerce welcomes the following new businesses partners:
AtWork! is feeling recession bite
January 27, 2009
Berkeley Smith, an eight-year veteran employee of AtWork!, stands next to a mountain of recycled cardboard while throwing pieces onto a conveyor belt to a compactor, which compresses the pieces into 1800-pound bales. By Greg Farrar
With market prices for recyclable goods dropping along with everything else, local recycling centers have struggled to maintain the status quo.
Hardest hit has been AtWork!, which saw its revenue drop by about 75 percent in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
Still, both AtWork! and Waste Management are accepting all recyclable goods, though AtWork! is holding onto shredded office paper until the markets improve and it becomes profitable to sell it.
Waste Management, which handles the recycling for all of the city of Issaquah except for South Cove/Greenwood Point, has seen the cost of recycling inch close to the cost of disposing garbage and waste, but that hasn’t and shouldn’t affect its recycling practices in the future, Community Education Director Rita Smith said. Read more
Who’s News
December 15, 2008
Issaquah grad wins engineering competition
Andrew Salmeri, a 2008 graduate of Issaquah High School who attends the University of Portland, won the prestigious 2008 University of Portland Freshman Engineering design competition last month. Read more
