Editor’s note: This article was published online on Jan. 2 before Jason Comnik, owner of the Yella Beak, was able to respond to a request for comment. The article has been updated with new information.
New Year’s Eve, the Yella Beak was open for business.
But on Jan. 2, anyone looking for a beer or meal were met with a small, handwritten orange sign saying the iconic Enumclaw establishment was “closed until further notice.”
Hopefully, not for long — Tracey Moore, who co-owns the building with Trevis Moore, said that the business will open again in a few months under new management after the establishment is given a facelift.
The closure caused a lot of confusion, as there was no initial announcement of the closure on the Yella Beak’s Facebook page on Jan. 2.
One was posted on Jan. 3, after the announcement of the closure made its way onto community Facebook pages, prompting questions from residents.
“Thank you to all of our patrons for the past two and a half years,” the post reads. “It has truly been an incredible journey, and we are grateful for your support.”
Jason Comnik, former co-owner of the Yella Beak, said he and his wife Kim made the decision to close on Dec. 26 and operate for one week more.
He said in an interview that, in general, it’s hard to run a food and bar business due to steep taxes and the rising costs of food and labor,
Minimum wage in King County for small businesses like the Yella Beak had their minimum wage rise to $18.32, and it will continue to increase by 50 cents every year until 2030, when it is $20.82
However, Comnik said the “nail in the coffin” was the White River bridge closure last August — until then, the business was bringing in 30% more revenue over the previous year, but it dropped to less than 40% after the bridge closed, he said.
Comnick noted that he wanted to make sure that workers continued to be employed through Christmas.
FACEBOOK CONFUSION
If you looked at the business’ Facebook page anytime before Jan. 2, it seemed nothing was out of the ordinary.
The page posted a holiday calendar on Dec. 23, advertising Christmas and New Year’s closures and that was open New Year’s Eve – just without poker.
Other posts made note of Monday night BINGO sessions, Sunday breakfasts (“It’s finally here!!!” that post read), and Saturday beer pong, and even a Jan. 3 food drive, indicating the intention of remaining open.
“Donate Today, each time you come for breakfast, Lunch or dinner bringing even one small item can help!” the post reads. “Yella Beak Saloon will be running this throughout the end of the year.”
Comnik said that these posts were made by their PR person, and not by him.
And while he added that this employee was notified a week before the business closed, there was no explanation given for why posts were made to the business page after Dec. 26.
COMMUNITY REACTION AND GIFT CARDS
The initial lack of information had some people buzzing about the closure in some Enumclaw-focused community Facebook pages.
Some lamented the closure.
“Oh my gosh, no more bingo,” one post reads.
“I know!! Just after we started playing,” reads a reply.
“That’s so sad! That was the first bar I ever snuck into as a minor,” reads a third. “That place was the place to go before covid.”
Others were unsurprised.
“When they followed the social distancing protocol everyone gave the middle finger and moved to seeders,” reads one. “They were also in need of a better DJ like they had 10 years ago to Keep people dancing. An authentic country line dancing bar would do good in Enumclaw.”
“There’s a national downward trend in alcohol consumption. I know the vineyards here in California are struggling to remarket the backlog of wine grapes and aging wine,” another post reads. “Same with the distilleries in other parts of the country as even moderate alcohol consumption is not see as a positive health benefit.”
But, perhaps most pressing, some people were concerned about what will happen with the gift cards they bought during the holidays.
“I hope [the closure] isn’t true. I purchased a gift card just before Christmas,” one person wrote.
“Me too. I bought one for my sister Christmas Eve,” another replied. “That’s pretty messed up that they would let people do that.”
Moore found out about the purchased gift cards during his interview with the Courier-Herald, and pledged to figure out a way to “make it right” after verifying the purchases.
“The gift cards will be honored one way or another,” he continued. “… I will absolutely not let these people not having their gift cards honored.”
On Jan. 3, the Yella Beak also promised to honor any gift cards.
“For those who have purchased gift cards, please know that we are honoring them 100%. As we work through the process of closing the business, we want to ensure all loose ends are handled properly,” the post reads.
There are two ways to redeem a gift card.
The first is to use it when the establishment re-opens under new management.
The second is to request a 100% refund by sending the Yella Beak name, mailing address, and proof of purchase (like a photo of the card with the purchase date). The refund would come in the form of a cashier’s check.
There is one caveat: partially used gift cards can be refunded, but will not be eligible for transfer to new ownership.
Comnik said that the gift card situation was only one of many loose ends that needed to be tied up quickly — since he broke the lease on the building (it wasn’t to be renewed until the summer), his equipment had to be removed before Jan. 1 and took priority.
“Our intention was always to refund them,” he said.
