Third generation Seattle restaurant owner Mark Canlis, on keeping the highest standards while remaining fresh after 75 years

Culinary Characters Unlocked

On Food and Wine’s list of America’s top restaurants for 2025, Canlis came in at number two. That, after decades as a Seattle landmark and a nationally known pinnacle of fine dining. It is also a time of great challenge for Canlis – a new Executive Chef; the departure of Mark’s brother, who had been his business partner for twenty years; and the tough post-covid economic environment that has hit the restaurant industry extremely hard. Yet Mark Canlis says he is not concerned – rather, he is committed to continually raising the bar in both food and service. And he is strikingly candid on a wide range of subjects – from food critics (he says they are too focused on the food as opposed to the overall experience) to a highly publicized lawsuit that accused Canlis of exploiting workers and misleading diners, accusations he vehemently denies, insisting that his restaurant has been at the forefront of improving worker pay by replacing tipping with a service charge.

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