Bellingham restaurant closes Fairhaven cafe as downtown location remains open
Bellingham restaurant and craft cocktail bar Banter has closed its Fairhaven location and has listed it for sale. Its downtown restaurant remains open.
The Fairhaven Banter location closed on Feb. 11 and, according to owner Emile Diffley, “the timing worked out to where all of my employees were able to keep their jobs and hours, and no one would be adversely affected by the closure,” Diffley wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
“The business has changed an incredible amount over the past six months, from rebrandings to changes in locations to concept changes, to physical renovations, some of those intentional, some out of our control. It’s been a lot to manage as a sole owner,” Diffley wrote.
“Our Fairhaven location has been a fun challenge over the past few years, but a challenge nonetheless. At one point in time, we had three locations, and plans to grow. Ownership has decided to go in the opposite direction and focus efforts on our downtown location. The space in Fairhaven is ready for the next operator, and is up for asset sale. Please reach out if you are interested,” the restaurant’s website states.
A lack of employees also impacted Diffley’s decision to close the restaurant location.
“In terms of staffing, I would say that there’s always been a staffing issue in restaurants, and COVID just accelerated us 10 years forward where the problem has amplified. There are enough people looking for jobs, but not enough people wanting to work in restaurants… In my recent experience the staffing situation has not rebounded enough yet to encourage growth or make my multi-location vision realistic,” Diffley wrote.
“I’ve decided to shift the focus of the business onto one singular location that is open all day and really dial in what we do best under one roof.”
Banter’s Fairhaven location is listed for sale on Craiglist for $85,000.
“In terms of listing it for sale, we put a lot of work into it last year to get it converted from a pizzeria into more of a multi-purpose kitchen as well as enhance the customer atmosphere. It’s certainly sad to see that work and investment go to waste, and ideally, I can find someone who has the vision, passion, and drive to open their own concept,” Diffley wrote.
The listing is at 1307 11th St. in Bellingham, and has indoor and outdoor eating areas, equipment and one gender-neutral bathroom. The sale listing is only for the physical assets, not the business.
“It takes an incredible amount of time, resources and commitment to open a restaurant; I’ve done a lot of the leg work in the space to get set up, so it’s a great opportunity for someone to step in and make it happen,” Diffley wrote.
Banter’s downtown restaurant will remain open. The restaurant serves breakfast, dinner, coffee and cocktails, such as gojuchang pork belly bowls, miso soba noodles, pork dumplings, sweet potato fries, espresso drinks, cocktails, beer and wine.
Banter is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, serving breakfast until 4 p.m. and dinner after 4 p.m. Happy hour runs from 4-6 p.m. Banter is also open for brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant is at 114 Prospect St.
