When Coastal Kitchen finally reopens after having been shuttered since its abrupt closure after a driver smashed his car through the entrance in May, much more will have changed than the front door at the nearly 30-year-old restaurant.

“The car was an opportunity,” restaurant spokesperson Robyn Nielsen tells CHS. “The car allowed us to stop, revalue, and see the potential of what we can do and plan for the next 10, 15, 20 years. I don’t think we could have continued with the same.”

The May crash followed on the heels of the pandemic in both revealing the challenges of business for the 15th Ave E restaurant and providing the opportunity to change.

“There will be no more diner-y vibes of the past,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen said a “rebrand” of the 1993-born restaurant will keep the name and the core spirit of fresh seafood but hone in on the strongest aspects of Coastal Kitchen’s future — an “elevated” dinner experience with weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

“People are looking for a nice spot for oysters and a martini where they feel comfortable and welcome,” Nielsen said. “We’ve been in COVID for so many years now, we’re seeing the other side of it. We want to be that space on 15th. It’s a fun opportunity.”

The damaging crash also has led to an aesthetic refresh and overhaul of the space with new colors and new tile.

The refinement of the neighborhood diner is another sign of the changes found as business owners emerge from years of COVID restrictions amid an increasingly challenging labor market. CHS talked with Coastal ownership earlier this summer about the crash closure and staffing. Jonathan Tweten said Coastal tried to keep “as many of the staff as we can” with a goal of bringing back as many workers as possible when the restaurant reopens but said some have had to be let go or moved on to other work.

Tweten’s family company has owned the restaurant for six years after reopening the popular eatery under its new ownership in 2016. With the closure of QFC and the challenges of the pandemic, 15th Ave E is “going through change,” Tweten said.

Coastal’s reopening would help the street’s transition but it won’t happen soon. While construction and the physical overhaul of Coastal Kitchen are moving into place, an opening might not come until November or later. There is time. The building will celebrate its centennial in 2024.

The new Coastal will be a business with optimized hours that should hopefully be easier to staff and grow. There will be fewer hours to staff. The refined menu will be smaller and there will be a renewed emphasis on elements like the cocktail program.

As for lunch, “that door’s not closed,” Nielsen said, but, for now, lunch at Coastal Kitchen is planned to go the way of other nice things that have disappeared in the post-pandemic world.

And the potentially biggest new thing for Coastal still isn’t in place yet. The restaurant is searching for a new head chef to lead it into the next era.

“This is the perfect opportunity for someone who wants to make the Kitchen theirs,” Nielsen said.

Coastal Kitchen is located at 429 15th Ave E. You can keep track of updates on its Instagram page @coastalkitchenseattle.

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