Pedro Gallegos, a seasoned chef from the Seattle restaurant scene, is co-owner of Uptown Grill. Photo courtesy of Uptown Grill.
UPTOWN GRILL
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By Alison Bailey
ichelle Nurmi, co-owner of Uptown Grill on Capitol Way South, was on the fence when she toured the restaurant and bar formerly known as Tipsy in February 2020. An Olympia resident for over 25 years, Michelle had been working as a CFO in major Seattle restaurants for 30 years. Sick of the commute and ready to live out a long-time dream, she was seriously considering taking the plunge with restaurant ownership. Michelle asked her close friend Pedro Gallegos, a seasoned chef in the Seattle restaurant scene, to check out the kitchen and share his opinion. Pedro thought the space had serious potential, so when Michelle started to lean away from the idea, Pedro offered to make it a joint effort. With the prospect of co-ownership and a trusted friend leading the kitchen, Michelle was all-in without hesitation.
Their neighbors to the south, Batdorf and Bronson’s Dancing Goats coffee bar, offered the sidewalk space in front of their shop after 4:00 p.m. when they close. This brought Uptown’s outdoor table count to six. Michelle went to every length to make sure her brave guests could be as comfortable as possible. “I even got two big heaters from my dad for Christmas,” Michelle laughs.
Uptown Grill opened their doors on July 1, 2020, when Thurston County restaurants were permitted to operate at 50% capacity indoors. Michelle and Pedro were able to take advantage of the City of Olympia’s Simplified Sidewalk program and expand their outdoor dining area’s footprint. This became critical to their survival in November when temperatures cooled and COVID cases spiked. Indoor dining was once again prohibited.
“All things considered, it’s gone well,” Michelle goes on. “The community has been wonderful. We’ve met so many new people. Everyone is very supportive.” Michelle and Pedro were in a unique and tricky situation as new business owners. They opened after the pandemic had already started and were not eligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans or grants. With support from the community, they’ve continued to do well. They currently employ a ten-
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