'25 for $25' works well for some lucky restaurants

This week marks the start of 25 for $25 — the biannual opportunity to "Dine Around Seattle." If you've seen the program's advertising pitch you probably already know that 25 of "the area's top restaurants" are offering you "a month of incredible dining."

Or, if you discount the superlatives, they're at the very least offering a great excuse to get out and eat.

Held throughout March and November, 25 for $25 translates as a select group of upscale Seattle-area restaurants who strut their stuff serving special three-course menus offered at lunch (where available, $12.50) and dinner ($25). These menus (view online at www.nwsource.com/dinearoundseattle) exclude drinks, tax and tip, complement the restaurant's standard fare, and are available Sundays through Thursdays. They're meant to bring bodies through the door, cash to the coffers and new customers to the fold. (The Seattle Times Co. is among the many sponsors.)

It's worked like a charm, says Richard Malia, owner of Ponti Seafood Grill and a founding member of the program. Since its debut in March 2002, participating restaurants have seen a considerable increase in business during the notoriously slow months of March and November. What's more, says Malia, it's rescued some restaurants — his own among them — from the brink of extinction.

Malia helped launch this successful program with the aid of Karl Bruno (from Earth & Ocean), Chris Keff (Flying Fish and Fandango), Mo Shaw (Ray's Boathouse) and Allan Aquila (Yarrow Bay Grill), whose restaurants have participated from the start. "Our vision was to have owner/operators or locally owned fine-dining restaurants involved, and to shy away from corporate chains — the large operations that have the money to promote themselves," Malia says.

"Customers embrace this thing," he adds. "They look forward to it." As do those restaurateurs fortunate enough to be part of the program. But what about those who aren't involved? How do they fare in the face of this popular, by-invitation-only party?

Not so well, says chef Ethan Stowell. Last November, when the 25 for $25 group was reveling in big business, Stowell might as well have been waiting for Godot. He had just opened his new restaurant, Union, and felt the pinch of the promotion as diners flocked to participating restaurants rather than check out the latest addition to downtown's dining scene.

"I'm an unproven commodity," he says. "And what I'm learning about the restaurant business is there's absolutely no substitution for getting people in the door."

Tom Knowles, general manager at Restaurant Zoë, couldn't agree more. "There's a willingness to go out on perceived 'off-nights,' " during 25 for $25, he says. "People like to go out and be part of a scene. And this creates that scene, seven nights a week."

Zoë, one of the original 25 for $25 participants, was formerly closed on Sundays and used last November's promotion to initiate Sunday-night service. "There were two weeks in November when Sunday was our biggest night," says Knowles. "We did more covers on those Sunday nights than on Saturday nights." He looks forward to more of the same this month.

Stowell, whose restaurant is a short walk from Zoë, says he would have loved to participate this month. And according to Malia, Union fits the profile for the quality dining experience expected from member-restaurants.

Unfortunately for Stowell and other 25 for $25 wannabes, the roster is full. "I'm on the waiting list," Stowell says. "Which means the only way I can get on the (participating) list is if a restaurant goes out of business or drops out — which they'll never do."

Never say never. While most of the original group is still involved, there has been some change in the lineup. Canlis took The Painted Table's place in November 2002, then bowed out of the subsequent promotion. Serafina recently replaced the Georgian.

Financially, 25 for $25 was a wash for Canlis, which didn't make more or less money than it would have had they not participated, says Chris Canlis. The decision to drop out was based primarily on staffing problems. "We were taking reservations from 5 to 10 p.m. every single day," says general manager Tammy Heldridge, "doing at least 200 dinners a night — in November." After a month of nonstop business, moving headlong into the December holiday rush, the entire staff — highly-trained individuals with no additional pool to draw from — was exhausted, she says.

Another compelling reason for withdrawal, according to Alice Canlis, was that 25 for $25 did not jibe with the family's mission — known in-house as "The Canlis Experience." The 25 for $25 program, by design, puts parameters on the diner's restaurant experience, she says. "It limits us and wasn't a good fit. What we want to be known for is our gracious, generous spirit. We don't want to have to say 'no.' Canlis is a place where we always want to say 'yes.' "

Meanwhile, as Stowell waits for the 25 for $25 committee to say yes, he's decided to combat the competition by upping the ante. This month he's offering an eight-course, nightly-changing tasting menu. The price: $25.

Stowell views this as his golden opportunity to show off his wares and impress new customers. "I figure if I'm going to lose money, I might as well try to get some people in the door and make them happy at the same time," he says.

March madness is clearly in the air. Karen Binder, owner of the Madison Park Cafe, has been offering a three-course $25 prix-fixe since January as a celebration of 25 years in business. With 25 for $25 promoting its own agenda this month, she's decided to extend the weeknight-deal through the end of March. "I would have liked to have been involved with the program," says Binder, "but nobody asked me."

"When we started out we had a hard time getting 25 restaurants to get into this," says Malia, who views the promotion as an opportunity for everyone. "There's nothing stopping people from doing something on their own. I would encourage other restaurants to offer a $25 menu.

"What I'd really like to see is March and November becoming 'Restaurant Month' in and around Seattle."

Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.