Many small businesses and restaurants struggled to stay open and some unfortunately shuttered during the lockdown and restriction period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Small and locally-owned restaurants are the essence of local communities, fostering growth, providing jobs, and contributing to the unique character of their neighborhoods. King County Local Services responded during the pandemic by offering relief funding to numerous small businesses in the county. We were pleased to see that four of the seven restaurants recommended in this recent Seattle Times article received COVID-19 relief funding from King County. 

It’s rewarding to know that these White Center restaurants are still active and being recommended for their excellent food. The recommendations come from a former James Beard award winner, Chef Brady Ishiwata Williams, whose restaurant, Tomo, also received an award in 2022 for $30,000. 

Of the seven restaurants he recommends, six are in unincorporated King County (White Center) and four received Small Business Grants between 2020-2022 to help with recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The restaurants are:  

• Best Roasted Corn & More – $30,000 (2022) 
• Crawfish House – $30,000 (2022) 
• Carniceria El Paisano – $30,000 (total 2020 and 2022)
• Taqueria Los Potrillos – $5,000 (in 2020) 

We saw the world pivot during the pandemic and establishing a process for COVID-19 relief funding was a big lift. DLS employees deeply involved in this grant effort included Michael Morales (Economic Recovery Specialist), GarMin Chan (Administrator II), and Jillian Scheibeck (CFO).  

White Center is a unique and thriving community and is filled with many locally-owned restaurants. Spending a few hours at the Southgate Roller Rink and enjoying a delicious meal at any of these restaurants will give anyone the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of White Center. We, at King County, are proud to know that these businesses were able to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic and are still thriving.