Skippers Seafood & Chowder House
Encyclopedia
Skippers Seafood & Chowder House is a group of independently owned and operated locations licensed by Starway Restaurants, LLC. There are currently licensed Skippers restaurants doing business in Idaho
, Montana
, Oregon
, Utah
and Washington. Starway Restaurants, LLC has also re-introduced Skippers clam chowder in ready to serve cans and Skippers tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and coleslaw dressing sold in grocery stores and over the Internet. There are over 30 Skippers locations operating under limited license agreements with Starway Restaurants, LLC.
, Washington, in 1969, at which time Skippers began serving fried fish, shrimp, and clams as well as chowders. The corporate headquarters was eventually moved to Edmonds
where it stayed for many years until moving to SeaTac
shortly before the company was dissolved in 2007.
Skippers initially experienced rapid growth as new restaurants were opened in several western states and British Columbia
, Canada
. In 1989, Kansas-based National Pizza Company purchased Skippers, Inc., closing some restaurants. National Pizza Company operated Skippers until 1995, when it was purchased by Meridian Capital and from 1995 through 2002, the Skippers management team introduced a line of grilled entrees, including grilled wild caught salmon
, halibut
, and chicken.
In late 2002, Skippers was purchased by a group of Pacific Northwest
investors although this venture was short lived. New logos and new products were introduced in the spring of 2003, and again in 2007. As of 2007, there were Skippers stores operating in Idaho
, Montana
, Oregon
, Utah
and Washington.
On December 12, 2006, Skippers, Inc., filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
in U.S. Court in Seattle
in an organizational restructuring. The restructuring failed, and Skippers, Inc., was liquidated
on June 29, 2007. Of the 58 stores remaining after Skippers initially filed for bankruptcy, fewer than 20 were sold to various individuals and corporate interests through limited license agreements. When the sales of individual units and closures were finalized, Skippers, Inc., ceased to exist as a corporation.
Starway Restaurants acquired all of the intellectual property of Skippers Seafood & Chowder in late 2007. In 2008, approximately six Skippers restaurants opened under limited license agreements with Starway Restaurants. Restaurants are independently owned and operated as Starway Restaurants has indicated that they believe the local owner/operator model leads to better run restaurants. Starway Restaurants has said they wished to focus on improving the quality of Skippers fish by mandating that both fried and grilled fish are wild caught and not farm raised.
In late 2007, Skippers reintroduced its original chowder recipes. In early 2008, Skippers moved to wild caught fish. In 2009, roughly another five Skippers restaurants opened under limited license agreements. In early 2008, Starway Restaurants introduced a Skippers line of ready to serve clam chowder in pull top 15 ounce cans sold in Skippers restaurants and some grocery and food stores.
There are now over 30 Skippers Seafood & Chowder locations operating in Idaho
, Montana
, Oregon
, Utah
and Washington with the most recent locations opening in the fall of 2009 and winter of 2010 in Washington, Utah, and Oregon respectively.
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Washington. Starway Restaurants, LLC has also re-introduced Skippers clam chowder in ready to serve cans and Skippers tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and coleslaw dressing sold in grocery stores and over the Internet. There are over 30 Skippers locations operating under limited license agreements with Starway Restaurants, LLC.
History
Skippers was founded by Herb Rosen in BellevueBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, Washington, in 1969, at which time Skippers began serving fried fish, shrimp, and clams as well as chowders. The corporate headquarters was eventually moved to Edmonds
Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
where it stayed for many years until moving to SeaTac
SeaTac, Washington
SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...
shortly before the company was dissolved in 2007.
Skippers initially experienced rapid growth as new restaurants were opened in several western states and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1989, Kansas-based National Pizza Company purchased Skippers, Inc., closing some restaurants. National Pizza Company operated Skippers until 1995, when it was purchased by Meridian Capital and from 1995 through 2002, the Skippers management team introduced a line of grilled entrees, including grilled wild caught salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
, and chicken.
In late 2002, Skippers was purchased by a group of Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
investors although this venture was short lived. New logos and new products were introduced in the spring of 2003, and again in 2007. As of 2007, there were Skippers stores operating in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Washington.
On December 12, 2006, Skippers, Inc., filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in U.S. Court in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in an organizational restructuring. The restructuring failed, and Skippers, Inc., was liquidated
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
on June 29, 2007. Of the 58 stores remaining after Skippers initially filed for bankruptcy, fewer than 20 were sold to various individuals and corporate interests through limited license agreements. When the sales of individual units and closures were finalized, Skippers, Inc., ceased to exist as a corporation.
Starway Restaurants acquired all of the intellectual property of Skippers Seafood & Chowder in late 2007. In 2008, approximately six Skippers restaurants opened under limited license agreements with Starway Restaurants. Restaurants are independently owned and operated as Starway Restaurants has indicated that they believe the local owner/operator model leads to better run restaurants. Starway Restaurants has said they wished to focus on improving the quality of Skippers fish by mandating that both fried and grilled fish are wild caught and not farm raised.
In late 2007, Skippers reintroduced its original chowder recipes. In early 2008, Skippers moved to wild caught fish. In 2009, roughly another five Skippers restaurants opened under limited license agreements. In early 2008, Starway Restaurants introduced a Skippers line of ready to serve clam chowder in pull top 15 ounce cans sold in Skippers restaurants and some grocery and food stores.
There are now over 30 Skippers Seafood & Chowder locations operating in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Washington with the most recent locations opening in the fall of 2009 and winter of 2010 in Washington, Utah, and Oregon respectively.
External links
- 2001 Obituary of Herb Rosen, founder of Skippers
- Licensed Skippers location opens in Spokane, Washington
- Licensed Skippers location opens in Tacoma Washington
- Licensed Skippers location opens in Boise Idaho
- Licensed Skippers location opens in Burien Washington