Bon Marche Closes Restaurants -- 90 Idled As Store Focuses On Retail

The Bon Marche's full-service restaurants - a last bastion for decades for such ladies luncheon specials as the chicken pot pie and the chicken salad - are being closed, eliminating up to 90 full and part-time jobs.

At the same time, the company announced that it plans to spend as much as $10 million remodeling its Northgate store. The renovation is scheduled to begin in the spring and be completed in fall 1996.

The Bon will be closing its Cascade Room restaurant in downtown Seattle on Jan. 21, said John Buller, senior vice president of marketing. With the closure, The Bon plans to move its Cafe Frango to the sixth floor, combining the cafe with current deli operations.

The Northgate Bon's Legend Room and the Tacoma store's Cascade Room closed yesterday. "The closure of these restaurants reflects our desire to concentrate our space, capital and management attention on our core retail businesses," Buller said.

Buller said some employees at the downtown store restaurant will be offered jobs in the deli operation.

Dave Mumm, secretary-treasurer of Local 8 of Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees, said the announcement came as a surprise.

"We are shocked and disappointed that The Bon chose to make this closure and . . . (make it) so abruptly," Mumm said.

The restaurants have been operated by a contractor, Los Angeles-based ARAMARK Services Inc., which also operates cafeterias for The Boeing Co. and the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. Some of those losing their jobs at The Bon restaurants have signed up for work at other ARAMARK facilities, Mumm said.

The renovation at the Northgate store will add a Bon Furniture Gallery to the lower level of the building and allow the Bon to expand its women's apparel and cosmetic business on the mall floor.

The Northgate store was constructed in 1950 and underwent its last major remodel in 1973.