Fonté Coffee Roaster Bets on Downtown Seattle with a New Café Restaurant in Rainier Square Fonté’s Owner Paul Odom Wants to See Seattle Have Fun Again in Seattle’s Newest “Hot Spot”
Fonté Coffee Roaster, Seattle’s pioneer micro roasters founded by Paul Odom in 1992, announces that it will open a new flagship café and restaurant in the lobby of the 58 story Rainier Square, making it the newest “hot spot” in downtown Seattle. The expansive lobby is the central gathering hub that links Wright Runstad & Company’s Rainier Square and 400 University projects with the original Rainier Tower on a single block that encompasses 189 high end apartment homes, over 1.5 million square of office space, diverse retail offerings and ample parking.
Fonté, a local coffee roaster operating seven cafés and relationships with the finest chefs, restaurants and hoteliers in the country, is set to open the flagship store in fall of 2022. The Fonté Café and Restaurant at Rainier Square will not only provide its classic offerings of fine coffee and high-quality hand-made to-go fare, it will entertain Seattle with a sit-down culinary dining experience with a fresh ingredients driven menu.
The Fonté flagship café will join PCC Community Markets as Rainier Square comes to life with 80% of its apartment homes already leased and a growing roster of premier commercial tenants filling its office space. For Fonté’s part, an energetic commitment to entertaining will be as important as the commitment to fine quality. Hand-made cocktails prepared table side from a traveling trolley and engaging baristas, servers and bartenders are on the menu.
“I believe that Seattle wants to be entertained again. I hope this collaboration inspires downtown Seattle’s 2.0 version and brings much-needed play back to our dynamic city,” says Odom. Odom is certain that offering a cool coffee and cocktails dining experience where people can gather and be social will help jump-start the process. “Envision New York’s Eataly by day and old Nomad Bar by night as inspiration for the concept.” The store will operate in Rainier Square’s expansive main floor lobby, serving indoor lounge and outdoor courtyard seating all day and into the night.
Located on the block between Union and University and Fourth and Fifth Avenues, Rainier Square occupies the preeminent location in the heart of downtown Seattle. With easy access to transit and ample underground parking, getting to Fonté’s new flagship café will be easy for city residents and tourists alike who are looking for coffee and breakfast in the morning, lunch at mid-day, a place to unwind with a cocktail after work or for dinner before the theater.
About Rainier Square:
Developed by Wright Runstad & Company and opened in 2020, Rainier Square occupies the prominent position in Seattle’s downtown and on its skyline. The 1.1 million square foot project includes a 58-story tower containing 734,000 square feet of office space and The Residences at Rainier Square, 189 luxury apartment residences on its uppermost floors. Rainier Square shares the block with the 400 University building and the landmark Rainier Tower. All three properties are connected at the main lobby level which features Fonte’s flagship Café and Restaurant and affords access to a unique mix of destination retailers, a 20,000 square foot PCC Community Market and ample underground parking. More information about Rainier Square can be found at www.rainiersquare.com
About Fonté:
Founded in 1992, Fonté Coffee Roaster is the longest standing independent micro coffee roaster still owned and operated by its original founder Paul Odom. Fonté headquarters and roasting facility are located in the hip Georgetown district in Seattle, WA. The company owns and operates seven coffee bars with two more in development under the Fonté & Uptown Espresso brand names. The company manages a lively wholesale operation supplying the nation’s premier chefs, restaurants and hoteliers as well as a thriving online business. Fonté roasts coffee by hand and as part of its commitment to artisan quality has allowed only three qualified people in the last thirty years to perform the role of roaster. One is Fonté’s master roaster, Steve Smith, who has experience dating back to the 1970s where he was the first master roaster for the Starbucks Coffee Company. In 1991, Steve brought his expertise to full bloom with Fonté Coffee Roaster, where curating only the finest coffees from meticulous growers from the best regions is a priority. Coffees are selected from all over the world based on individual varietal character and are only chosen if they meet the standards of the signature Fonté roast. As a green coffee buyer and full reign of our roasters, we seek to experiment and create the unimaginable, the highest level of excellence in the coffee experience.
Contact Details
Forrest Carman
+1 206-859-3118
Company Website