The 5 Point Cafe (photo: 5 Point Cafe)
Interview by Megan Cole
What makes an iconic bar? Normally it’s more that just decor and food. For The 5 Point Cafe in Seattle, Washington, which was recently named one of Washington most iconic bars, owner David Meinert says it’s about history, community, a great jukebox and a sought after chicken fried steak. The 5 Point has been up and running since 1929 and has gained a reputation as being a gathering place for anyone looking for good food and drinks. While they may have made the news last September for drama involving Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, The 5 Point is a destination spot because of its past and what it’s doing for Bell Town now.
How did you end up owning The 5 Point Cafe?
Meinert: I met someone there that I started dating like 18 years ago and ended up being friends with the guy that bought the building when the original owner died. I met the new building owner through her, and he had brought some friends in to run the 5 Point when he bought the building. They had kind of driven it into the ground and it was going out of business. We made a deal that if we could get them out and get the business back up, he would sell it to me.
Why was it important for you to keep the business alive?
I had hung out there a bunch, and my girlfriend had worked there for years. I had also always had this dream of owning a diner. I love diners; I love old diners and I love the old stuff that is in them. And I love that part of Seattle, which is this old, gritty part of Seattle, and a lot of that has been lost with the couple of waves a tech companies and tech workers. It’s changed from a blue-collar town to a tech town. The 5 Point kind of retains some of that old Seattle.
Reading the backstory of The 5 Point, the business has a pretty interesting legacy, too. It would have been a real shame to see that disappear.
Oh yeah, it would have been a bummer, for sure. I think the whole business has tied us back to history and given us a time capsule, so I think it’s important for the city. But there’s a culture that loves that type of place, and I’m a big fan of all the new places that are opening up and the food culture in Seattle, but I’d hate to see the old place suffer from that.
The 5 Point Cafe in 1955 (photo: 5 Point Cafe)
The 5 Point almost brings you back to different times, like the grunge era where you can imagine punks and people in their flannel sitting there having a beer, and that’s important for people to remember about that city, too.
Yeah, and there’s definitely a scene at the 5 point, and a lot of that old grunge scene hangs out there, and even before that. I’ve had a customer that has been coming there for 42 years, and a lot of people go way back, and they have pretty interesting stories.
Was there a transition of what the aesthetic was before you bought it to what it is now, or did you just clean things up and carry on?
I really did just clean things up. Literally clean and replace some of the flooring and recover the vinyl booths. It was in fairly bad shape, so there was some work to be done. But you wouldn’t really notice it unless you knew the inner workings. It’s pretty much the same vibe, and half the staff has been there from before, and going back to one of the original families that owned it.
Why do you think it’s a destination spot, not only for just Seattle residents, but also tourists when they come to town?
I think it’s because it’s in the heart of tourism, like Seattle Centre, the Space Needle, the ferries that go up to Alaska and the statue of Chief Seattle. It’s also one of the oldest restaurants in that neighbourhood and it gets written about because it’s so old. It’s a good place with good food and drinks, and that’s a lot of it.
Something that gets written about a lot when it comes to The 5 Point is the jukebox. Why is the jukebox there so good?
You know, I don’t know why. It’s the music that we like, and a lot of the staff have an influence on it. The King County executive [municipal government] here curated most of the current jukebox and so people have input into it. I think it’s music that has a lot of local influence, but also everything from classic rock to puck rock and metal. People just like it.
Do you have any stories that stand out as being some of your most memorable from your time so far at The 5 Point?
Not really. There have been some funny things, like when I drunkenly banned Google Glasses, and it became an international news story. And then there was Tom Morello, who came by after a show and we were at capacity and he couldn’t get in, and he didn’t want to wait for 10 minutes for a table and caused a big scene. Then he went on social media and blasted us. He insulted the security and it became this big thing. Those are fun kind of things. For me, it’s just the vibe of the place; it’s always busy, and they see each other all the time. There are people from out of town, and locals that have been going there for decades. Politicians and prostitutes hang out there, and everyone from the neighbourhood, from those who live in the expensive condos, to those who live in low income housing. Barriers are brought down and everyone is equal.
The Tom Morello thing went viral, but have you had any contact with him since that?
No. I just thought it was funny. It was just kind of silly on his part. He could have waited for 10 minutes and had a table, but he blew it out of proportion and it kind of backfired on him.
Is that the first incident where you had a celebrity or musician have an experience like that at your business?
That was one of the first that was kind of picked up on social media. But lots of people have been thrown out of there. Drew Barrymore got thrown out of there. Tons of people in bands were thrown out for being too drunk. An asshole talk show host from the ’90s came in one time and was very sexist and misogynistic, and he came in and was shooting his mouth off, and a couple customers took him outside and beat him up. But that was before social media. It’s a funny place that way.
It reminds me of a place in Vancouver called the Elbow Room, which has this kind of no-bullshit attitude, where the customers can’t come in walk all over the staff. Some customers aren’t used to that environment.
Yeah, the 5 Point is the kind of place where a customer can definitely be thrown out, and it’s okay. That’s surprising to customers sometimes.
What’s your hope to keep the 5 Point going for another 50 or 100 years?
I have a long lease and hopefully the building doesn’t get torn down or something like that. Short of that, I think it will be going for that long. Hopefully, when I’m long gone, someone will take it over and keep it going. I have a five-year-old daughter, and maybe she will be in to it when she grows up.
Do you take her in there regularly?
She was in there right after she was born, before we took her home from the hospital. She knows how to pour beers and play pull tabs. [Laughs] She’s definitely part of the place.
The 5 Point Cafe is located on 415 Cedar Street in Seattle, Washington.
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