Alki Homestead update: Owner says he’s found a buyer

We reported back in March that the Alki Homestead restaurant was on the market – the restaurant, not the building. Now, there’s word from owner Tom Lin that he’s found a buyer:

I believe we have found the right buyer for Alki Homestead Restaurant. It is a husband and wife team who live near Fauntleroy Ferry in West Seattle. They were voted as one of the up and coming chefs in Seattle by Seattle Magazine. If the deal goes through, they will take over the restaurant early next year and close it down for few months during the remodeling.

The name will still be Alki Homestead Restaurant and the tradition will be kept alive. It has been very challenging for me the past few years as I am not a restaurateur. My general manager Chris Long has done a tremendous job at maintaining the family-style dining at Alki Homestead.

The potential new owners are now working on the architectural drawing. Alki Homestead will be getting a facelift next year. I truly believe it will be a better place after all (is) said and done.

Lin posted that to the Alki Beach Community Yahoo! Group earlier this morning, and since his note to that group ended with a question about how to post it here, we have taken the liberty of going ahead and re-posting. We also have a followup question out to him, seeking more information about the prospective buyers – online research shows one Seattle chef couple getting a lot of media attention as up-and-comers, but so far we haven’t found any indication of West Seattle residency, so it may not be them. The other followup question – whether the sale is indeed for the business and not the century-old building, which is how it was originally listed (the building itself is an official Seattle city landmark; Lin bought it two and a half years ago, a year and a half after longtime owner Doris Nelson died. Back in April, the Homestead sold off some of its art, crystal, and other items (WSB coverage here). 9:54 AM UPDATE: Just got a note back from Tom Lin – he explains he wants to “keep the buyer’s name anonymous as the deal is not totally sealed yet,” but he wanted to get the word of an impending deal out so that people could enjoy the Homestead for the holidays, before the aforementioned temporary closure next year, and he reiterates the prospective buyer “intend(s) to keep the name and style of food.”

M November 25, 2008 (6:57 am)

The word “facelift” frightens me a little..

Sue November 25, 2008 (8:28 am)

M, I’m with you. I don’t go there often (all you can eat fried chicken isn’t the best for the waistline!), but part of what attracts me is the charm of the decor and the building – it reminds me of childhood meals at my grandparents’ house. I’ll be curious as to what they come up with.

GB November 25, 2008 (8:31 am)

Best wishes to the new owners! We love Alki Homestead…

dining nulu November 25, 2008 (9:28 am)

OK. Who are the husband and wife team who live near Fauntleroy Ferry in West Seattle? A search of Seattle Magazine brought no results.

WSB November 25, 2008 (9:43 am)

As I wrote above, I pulled some searches and while I came up with a Seattle husband/wife chef team that indeed had been mentioned by Seattle Magazine and elsewhere, databases don’t bring any obvious matches between them and West Seattle residency. I’ll post an update whenever I get new information, which I am seeking in other ways as well (update, just got e-mail back from Tom Lin, will add to the article) – TR

JanS November 25, 2008 (10:48 am)

I believe that since the Homestead is designated a historical landmark, there is only so much they can do with the building, and I would imagine that would have to be approved…

DG November 25, 2008 (12:54 pm)

Gabriel Claycamp and Heidi Kenyon of Culinary Communion are in West Seattle, aren’t they?

WSB November 25, 2008 (1:11 pm)

We’ve received several names as possible tips (in private e-mail too), and also have asked Tom Lin to forward our interview request to his buyer/s when they’re ready to talk … of course, if they’re out there, they’re welcome to comment here too! :)

MargL November 25, 2008 (1:13 pm)

Gabriel and Heidi were my first thought, too. I took a pasta class a few years ago at their house here in W. Seattle but they may have moved when they bought the new ‘teaching kitchen’ house in Beacon Hill.