Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 3, March 2004

Copyright 2004 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.

Going local pays off for Berkshire Grill

By CLAYTON PARK

About a year-and-a-half ago, the franchise operators of the Berkshire Grill restaurant in the Northgate area bought the rights to the name and proceeded to become independent of the East Coast chain.

That decision turned out to be a smart move.

In mid-February, Braintree, Mass.-based American Hospitality Concepts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and abruptly closed 59 of its restaurants, including some of its Berkshire Grill locations. The closures, which resulted in more than 3,000 layoffs, occurred so swiftly that managers were told to kick out customers and stash food in the freezer, according to an Associated Press report.

Fortunately, AHC's troubles are not shared by the Northgate Berkshire Grill's owners.

Joe Bergevin, general manager of the Northgate Berkshire Grill, reports that the restaurant is profitable and has seen an increase in business in recent months, thanks to its decision to change its focus to cater more to local tastes. Its menu now features dishes made with local ingredients. The restaurant also offers a wide array of Northwest wines, microbrew beers and, of course, locally roasted coffee.

"We're trying to support Northwest companies and have gone Northwest as much as possible," Bergevin says.

The restaurant's wine sales, for example, have increased "over 1,000 percent" since Sept. 1, Bergevin says. In July and August, the restaurant only sold a combined total of 62 bottles of wine. "Now we're selling 75 bottles per week," he says. "Last week we sold 98."

Of course, it helps that the restaurant has begun a five-night-a-week (Sunday-Thursday) promotion in which it is offering bottles of wine at half price.

The Northgate Berkshire Grill, which employs nearly 40 workers, opened in May 1999 on the site of the former Denny's restaurant next to the Northgate Ramada Inn. The restaurant and hotel share the same owners: a local family-run company called Northgate Hotels, which also operates the Hampton Inn in Lynnwood and a Best Western hotel in Everett.

Northgate Hotels is owned by the Damji family and is headed by Shaiza Damji, daughter of the company's founder, Nizar Damji. Shaiza also is actively involved in the Northgate Chamber of Commerce.