Port Orchard Independent, September 02, 2016

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also sad about leaving his employees — including himself and his wife — without jobs. One still reeling from the closure announcement is dining room manager Lorin Corcoran, who said she doesn’t have a new job lined up — not surprising since it’s been only a week since the closure was announced. “Our employees all live in the South Kitsap area and have local families,” Konig said. “This is the part that is so agonizing for me.” Despite the abrupt closure of his business, the Lighthouse owner said he’s looking at locations in Port Orchard and Gorst where he might relocate his restaurant. Konig did stress that he won’t be taking the Lighthouse name to another location — for obvious reasons. “There’s a lot of history in this building,” he said, “and calling a new restaurant The Lighthouse when it isn’t, doesn’t make sense.” One dark horse candidate is the vacant 737 Bay Street building, which previously housed Myhre’s Restaurant for many years. That location is problematic, however, because its interior was gutted by a fire that blazed through the building in July 2011 and would

need an extensive and expensive build-out. Konig said he didn’t know if a new building occupant moving into 737 Bay Street would be on the hook to pay for the build-out that could take the better part of a year to complete. But one scenario he said is a possibility would be to temporarily lease the vacant Port Orchard Pavilion space from building owner Mansour Samadpour, whose Abadan Properties manages a number of properties he owns in Port Orchard — including 737 Bay Street. Concurrently, Konig said, he and a new business partner could implement a plan to renovate the building’s interior for a new restaurant. Putaansuu said he encouraged the restauranteur to reach out to the normally elusive Samadpour. Konig said he has spoken with Samadpour about the possibility. The property owner-investor, Konig said, was open to discussing those plans. “I fully support (Konig’s) ideas,” Putaansuu said. “Mansour is willing to commit resources to his properties if you have a good business plan.” Just what Kashi plans to do with the lighthouse-topped building hasn’t been announced, but his group of Cheers Bar and Grill restau-

Bob Smith | Independent

Port Orchard’s Lighthouse restaurant is known for its distinctive maritime exterior facade. rants is expanding. Kashi has not returned a phone call for comment, but in a Renton Reporter article in August 2015, the new building owner said he plans to expand his Cheers restaurant chain to 10 restaurants in the Puget Sound area. He opened a restaurant — his sixth — in Renton last year. An official in the City of Port Orchard’s Community Development department said no plans have been submitted by Kashi or his associates to remodel the Lighthouse building.

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Bob Smith | Independent

Business owner Brookes Konig helps wrap up operations in his Lighthouse restaurant. The business closed its doors on Aug. 31.

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