Kelly @ The Dane

Kelly @
The Dane

Kelly: Part owner and manages the day to day operations.

Owners: Four people own The Dane: Kelly, Victor, Amy, and Jason.

It all began: When I met Amy on the rink. We were members of team CarnEvil on the Jet City Roller Derby League out of Everett.

The Dane started in: 2016. Open since March 2017.

The building! An iconic building from the 1940’s. It started as a grocery store. Then it was a video arcade. Then, an antique store. It is a long time business, and we wanted a neighborhood spot.

The challenge of starting a business: We had no idea what we didn’t know. There is no singular place that is ‘Everything You Need to Know to Open a Business in Seattle’. There are general books about running a business, but every city and state is completely different. Talking to other business owners was really important for finding that information.

The Name: Was inspired by my husband and I living in Copenhagen. Each neighborhood had this place that had an espresso shop, that also you could get a Carlsberg, that also you could get a sandwich, and you could bring your kids. We wanted to create a little neighborhood spot where you could get all those things and feel like part of the community.

My previous work helped prepare me to own a business: I worked in labs as an immunologist. Twenty years in science, and working in a lab prepared me for the logistics and the day to day of running The Dane. Those details, putting systems and checklists in place, following protocols and recipes helped prepare me for the daily operations of the Dane. Science is predictable, and there’s a lot of monotony and that is the opposite of running a restaurant!

Covid: has slowed everything down a little bit. That gave us an opportunity to rethink sales and costs of goods, things you were just too busy to dive into before. So, this has allowed us to figure out ways to make our business more efficient.

The new patio is beautiful: Thank you! The city and regulations from the liquor control board (LCB) have really flexed and made the permitting a lot easier. We submitted the plan and they expedited everything for a fast turn around.

This cute new fence: is required by the LCB, so we bought a fence that does the trick but isn’t pretty. Crown Hill Village pointed us to local artists who helped to make our fence beautiful.

Fave menu item at the Dane: it’s a toss up between the beet salad (beets are a little polarizing) and the grilled cheese.

My Business Hero: The people at the Watershed Pub. They treat their employees great. Their beer list is amazing. The pizza is delicious. They are wonderful people and they’ve been super helpful and influential to help us grow our business.

Biggest Business Dream: I want the entire parking lot to be a beer garden with a food trailer kitchen, and live music. Create an environment of community with lots of people enjoying themselves, enjoying our food, enjoying our beer, enjoying each others company.