KP’s Soft Shell Crab Burger (Image: Money Frog)
Sometimes new living arrangements just don’t work out.
Only weeks after its grand opening on the relatively sleepy 19th Ave E, new Capitol Hill restaurant Money Frog was looking for a new pad.
Now, after about seven weeks of business in the space longtime favorite Vios called home for 17 years, it has shut down and is preparing for a move closer to the core of Capitol Hill.
Ownership hasn’t officially announced the new location while the deal is being finalized but license applications show Money Frog is on the move to the corner of 15th and Pine. The location has been home to the Remedium Grill restaurant which had been hosting this Alice in Wonderland-themed “immersive cocktail experience” over the winter to help make ends meet through the ongoing pandemic challenges.
One owner who spoke with CHS said the decision for the abrupt zig zag came with the realization 19th Ave E just wasn’t the right neighborhood for Money Frog’s pan-Asian restaurant and bar aspirations even with a push of weekend brunch to try to entice more neighbors.
CHS reported here on the mid-April grand opening of the project from Joe and Lucy Ye of Hangry Panda in Greenwood and Khampaeng “KP” Panyathong of Taurus Ox on E Madison.
Its arrival was not give the warmest reception on 19th Ave E — an area amid some of the most expensive homes on Capitol Hill and the city — with a few neighbor complaints expressing concern about a “drinking establishment” in the neighborhood holding up some of the buildout of the new restaurant. Money Frog says that Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos of Vios helped act as guides and allies to help the buyers of the Vios space through the process and get the needed city permits secured despite the pushback.
Money Frog ownership says the decision to move wasn’t based on the permit issues but said there are hopes its concept will do better in a more central location.
15th and Pine will put Money Frog at the top of Pike/Pine near new neighbors like Plenty of Clouds, Travis Post and Lisa Zack’s Sichuan concept that opened in 2018 at the corner, and Brandon Barnato’s pizza and salumi rich Bar Cotto. The stretch has also been lined up for a new project at 15th and Madison where Sakana Sushi has been making plans.
They Money Frog team, meanwhile, will not be leaving 19th Ave E completely, making plans for something new to keep the space in motion including a possible “express version of Hangry Panda” in the future.
The new new home for Money Frog at 15th and Pine is expected to be open before the end of the month. Keep track of updates at moneyfrogseattle.com.
UPDATE: The ownership at Remedium confirms the deal and has its own big plans — of a different flavor.
(Image: Remedium)
“I plan on getting engaged and married, and finally raise a family,” Sean Sheffer tells CHS.
“In all our years in the restaurant and hospitality business, over a decade, suffering through CoVid, wanting to make a name for ourselves and bring Pacific Islander Cuisine, Guamanian cuisine, Kamayan Feasts, Ube & Pandan baked goods it finally dawned on us. We did it. We set out to do everything we aspired and dreamed of. And more,” Sheffer wrote in a private announcement of the decision to sell.
Remedium and Cure favorite bartender Joe Wargo, meanwhile, plans to also take a break before continuing behind the bar and hosting classes and learning opportunities “at bars across Seattle.” “It’ll be a great way to support and bring attention to other great local restaurants and dives,” Sheffer says.
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Could be people are uncomfortable going to a restaurant called Money Frog.
Maybe I’m ignorant, but I don’t understand why that would make people uncomfortable? My association is that a money frog is a little wealth and prosperity charm that’s pretty common to see in Chinese restaurants, like Maneki-neko, the little Japanese good luck cats with the waving arm.
it’s a concept that needs to be in the mix with the younger part of the hill. lol who would be uncomfortable with the name. Strange thought.
Wow. Talk about complete failure to do market research before opening a new venture. These people must have money and time to burn. Their opening was unusually subdued and they didn’t market to the neighborhood. They decided to close more than half the restaurant (and the best tables) to kids even though their located across the street from a large school, and at the very center of a kid friendly neighborhood. They also made no effort to open their sidewalk patio, even though other restaurants in the immediate vicinity do it very well, and some people still prefer to eat al fresco. I have eaten at Taurus Ox several times and enjoyed the food very much. It’s a shame the owners were so tone deaf to the neighborhood, because it would have been nice to have a successful new venture in this location.
Agree. And I would add that it seems very premature for Money Frog’s owners to conclude that they wouldn’t make it in the neighborhood.
Hi Glenn! Thanks for providing your thoughts. As one of the owners of Money Frog, I would like to respectfully provide our side of the story.
We were hoping to open our sidewalk patio from the beginning, but unfortunately we received several anonymous and misguided complaints about our intention to turn the space into a dive bar. This led to the SDCI issuing a stop work notice and thus we weren’t able to install patio seating.
We fully stand by our decision to run our concept in this neighborhood and we are confident that it would have been successful. We met many supportive neighbors and we’re grateful that we decided to open Money Frog here, even for such a limited period of time. We ended up finding a location that we thought would work even better for Money Frog, which spurred our decision to move locations.
Our menu continues to evolve as we figure out our audience’s preferences and we are always welcome constructive criticism. The best way to reach us is in person or at [email protected]
Best,
Joe.
I was excited when I heard about Money Frog as it seemed like an opportunity for the Taurus Ox folks to offer a more expansive menu – alas the menu at Money Frog seemed directed towards 20-30 somethings who want something fried to go w their drinks, completely off the mark for the mostly over 40 upper middle class neighborhood.
Very uncomfortable with the coded class comment remarks on neighborhood appropriateness etc. it seems that a business with a different perspective isn’t welcome. Thanks but no thanks to that point of view and good luck to Money Frog in a new location.
I took a look at the menu and out of 11 mains there were only 4 that were specifically listed as fried. As an over 40 middle class person I would gladly welcome them as a neighbor as I think they have a unique offering. But, hey, you know what? That neighborhood’s loss.
I live in the neighborhood and nobody went there more than once (if that) because the menu was just gross. A bunch of fried crabs and prawns with random stuff stuck onto them. Then some generic pork belly & steak & generic sides.
Honestly every other restaurant thrives in this neighborhood even if they’re mediocre, because there’s barely any restaurant space and it’s a dense neighborhood full of wealthier people including lots of people in their 20’s & 30’s (see the line at Hello Robin every day). But does a place that serves fried prawns with milk and nuts and oranges stuck on the side and frog legs count as a restaurant?
The neighborhood could use so many types of restaurants: vegan anything, noodles, sichuanese, sushi, brazilian, korean, west asian, south asian, more se asian, etc etc etc. but a “throw random crap in a fryer” restaurant ain’t it.
“gross” isn’t the term I’d use, but I agree with your general sentiment that the menu is overly adventurous without enough basics that seem needed to me to make it a successful neighborhood spot. It sounds like they’re changing their focus for the space, so hopefully Money Frog is successful in its new location, and they’re able to open something on 19th that is a better staple for the area.
It’s funny that various “asian food” is in your suggested restaurants the neighborhood could use, yet you have no idea that Money Frog’s modernized version of the honey walnut prawn dish you describe as “random crap in a fryer” is a well known Chinese American dish immigrants popularized decades ago. The classist code here is strong; You might find soft shell crab gross but that doesn’t make it gross. That means YOU find it gross. And we know you’re entitled to your opinion, but if the menu is too adventurous for the neighborhood, good for them for moving and staying true to their identity instead of catering to the privileged who can’t appreciate anything outside of what’s familiar to them.
First thing I saw on the menu was frog’s legs, so I never even went in. 15th-19th Ave E is not a frog’s legs kind of neighborhood. We can already eat bone marrow and chicken livers at Smith…..Wait a minute. I don’t eat any of that stuff! How about a really good pub with food like 74th St Alehouse has? Is that so hard? But we’re going to get “Hungry Panda” express instead, with fried chicken skin and….. Ugh.
The Money Frog menu, attached. Adventurous or not? You judge:
I would say that is an adventurous menu, but I don’t find fault with that. I’d eat most of those items, as long as they were well prepared. But it is an extremely limited menu which will appeal to a limited group of people. That is a dangerous game for a restaurant to play, and one that would normally require more than seven weeks to work out. This extremely rapid exit raises questions about how committed they were to the concept in this location from the beginning. And please don’t blame the neighborhood for not sustaining this venture. It is up to the restaurant creators to offer a strategy and menu appropriate for their location, and to do the work necessary to persuade potential customers that their cuisine is worth paying for. That’s accomplished by knowing your location (market research, due diligence, etc.) and marketing.
Live near the 19th Ave spot and tried to go multiple times during their initial launch. Person working front of house took my phone number to call me when my table would be ready each time I went, and each time I never received contact from them. Wanted to try it as the menu looked great but clearly they didn’t want business???
Hi Gilroy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. This is concerning for us to hear as we have rarely if ever been busy enough to warrant turning guests away. If you’re open to providing more details, we would really appreciate the insight. Our e-mail is [email protected].
Best!
Joe