Homegrown to Close Two Seattle-Area Sandwich Shops
Storefront restaurant operators in Seattle should note the chain's shift to catering as labor and food costs keep rising.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Openings & Closings
Homegrown, a sandwich chain, will close its downtown Seattle location at 999 Third Avenue and its Mercer Island location at 3016 78th Avenue SE around November 25, 2026, shifting its focus to catering. Seattle restaurant operators watching the closures should note the company's stated reasons: rising labor costs and food prices.
Why it matters
The closures follow a 2024 round in which Homegrown shut 10 King County shops and laid off 158 workers, and CEO Brad Gillis attributed those decisions to economic impacts, rising labor costs and food prices. Late-2025 tax problems that led the Washington Department of Revenue to revoke the two locations' business licenses over more than $472,000 in unpaid taxes and penalties add a compliance dimension operators should weigh.
Homegrown's remaining Seattle-area footprint is not given in the record, but the company has already cut 10 King County shops and 158 jobs in 2024. The two current closures carry a 30-day wind-down window tied to a business license revoked over more than $472,000 in unpaid taxes and penalties.
The players
Homegrown
A King County sandwich chain that operates counter-service shops and is now shifting toward catering after multiple rounds of closures.
Washington Department of Revenue
The state agency that administers business taxes and revoked the licenses of the two locations over unpaid taxes and penalties.
Brad Gillis
Homegrown's chief executive, who attributed the 2024 closures to economic conditions, rising labor costs and food prices.
The details
Homegrown posted a notice in the window of its downtown Seattle shop telling customers to "come see us during our last 30 days of business." The Washington Department of Revenue revoked the business licenses of the two locations in late 2025 after repeated unpaid tax and penalty balances, and the shops temporarily closed before reopening about two weeks later. The company says it is moving its operations toward catering, a shift that reduces dependence on walk-in lunch traffic at storefronts.
Timeline
July 2024: Homegrown closed 10 King County shops, laying off 158 employees.
Late 2025: The Department of Revenue revoked the two locations' licenses; the shops temporarily closed.
About two weeks after that temporary closure: The Seattle and Mercer Island shops reopened.
Around November 25, 2026: The downtown Seattle and Mercer Island shops are scheduled to close permanently.
Market Landscape
Homegrown's 2024 closure of 10 King County shops set the pattern for this second retreat from storefront dining. The move toward catering places the chain in the segment of the Seattle food market where demand is booked in advance rather than generated by foot traffic.
Seattle restaurant operators should treat rising labor and food costs, plus tax-compliance exposure, as live risks for storefront formats. Operators with storefront-dependent revenue may want to review their tax filings with a qualified accountant and assess whether catering or delivery channels reduce exposure to walk-in traffic.
The takeaway
For Seattle restaurant operators, the Homegrown retreat signals that a multi-location counter-service model is under pressure from labor, food costs and tax compliance at once. Keep current on state tax filings and track the catering channel's share of revenue as a leading indicator of which storefront formats remain viable.
What happens next
The downtown Seattle and Mercer Island shops are scheduled to close around November 25, 2026, the end of the 30-day window posted in the storefront notice.
Further reading
For more on storefront changes across the city, see Openings & Closings in Seattle business coverage.
