Food & Culture

Fast Food Meets Fine Dining

Seattle’s first ‘fast-fine’ restaurant will soon open its doors

By Rob Smith June 16, 2022

Sides_All_Bright-1


This article originally appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Seattle Magazine.

Thanks to Christian Chan, Seattle will soon become the place where fine dining meets fast food.

In April, Chan will open Bloom, a grab-and-go “fast-fine” restaurant the likes of which he says Seattle has never seen.

“This is not a term we originated. It’s used on the East Coast a lot,” says Chan, who is set to open the restaurant in the Denny Triangle neighborhood’s Nexus Tower. “We certainly think we’re breaking new ground in Seattle.”

What makes a restaurant with no seating or servers an upscale destination? Chan cites ambiance, for one. The restaurant places a “heavy emphasis” on the overall brand experience, from the décor to the packaging. Then, of course, there’s the cuisine, a globally influenced, nutrient-dense menu featuring vegan, keto and FODMAP options (a diet low in fermentable carbs often recommended to manage irritable bowel syndrome). All dishes are red meat, gluten and dairy free.

What makes it even more interesting is that Chan isn’t a restaurateur by trade. He is CEO of Burrard Group, a Vancouver, B.C.-based company that entered the Seattle market a few years ago.

Chan’s motivation to open a restaurant stems from an “aggressive onset” of a chronic illness in 2016. He was disappointed in traditional western medical treatments but finally found relief through diet and nutritional changes.

“So I’m a huge believer that food is medicine,” Chan says. “There needs to be more options, not only for people who have conditions, but for people who want to improve their well-being.”

Bloom will open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to start, though Chan, who describes himself as a serious urbanist, hopes to extend hours. He also envisions more restaurants.

“This is a decidedly urban concept,” Chan says. “Our mission is to improve urban life through better food.”

Join The Must List

Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.

Follow Us

Decolonizing dining in Seattle

Decolonizing dining in Seattle

Hillel Echo-Hawk is at the forefront of Seattle’s Indigenous food movement

In 2022, an Indigenous-owned restaurant serving a precolonial menu — Owamni, in Minneapolis — earned a James Beard Award as the best restaurant in the country. Names like Sean Sherman and Crystal Wahpepah (respectively, a Beard award finalist for best emerging chef, and the first Native American chef to compete on the Food Network’s Chopped)…

Pastry: An Affair to Remember

Pastry: An Affair to Remember

Chef Ewald Notter of Dote Coffee Bar makes it easy to fall in love with pastry and chocolate

Most romances unfold in predictable ways. An invitation for lunch, where you share sandwiches in a loud café, silently wishing your bread was crisper, but never giving up on the idea that one day it might be. An awkward laugh as your fingers touch while you both reach across the table for sugar in that…

Mix It Up. Try old-school cocktails this holiday season

Mix It Up. Try old-school cocktails this holiday season

These 10 drinks may not be on the menu at your local bar, but all pack a punch as well as some colorful history

Editor’s note: A version of this story previously appeared in “Seattle” magazine. Impress your guests this holiday season with these 10 concoctions from a vintage bar guide from Glenn Shaw Creations – supposedly from the 1950s – found in an antique shop in Olympia a few years back. Keep in mind that these drinks may…

Sip, Slurp, Celebrate at Frank's Oyster House

Sip, Slurp, Celebrate at Frank’s Oyster House

Let’s be Frank about Champagne

The best bubbles in Washington state may very well be found at an East Coast-style restaurant in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood. That, at least, is the opinion of The Champagne Bureau, USA, which has named Frank’s Oyster House and Champagne Parlor as one of the top 10 bars and restaurants in the nation for the quality…