When Guy and Linda Colbert bought the Oyster Bar on Chuckanut Drive in Bow, Wash., 23 years ago, the California couple thought they’d bring a few healthy changes to the menu. They eliminated the cheese soufflé, a side dish that had accompanied all the entrées. However, the Colberts soon learned that guests not only wanted the soufflé back, they demanded its return to the menu. The restaurant's loyal patrons weren't about to sit quietly and watch their favorite side dish bite the dust.
Many Oyster Bar patrons have been dining there for a long time. They love the view of Samish Bay at the restaurant, which sits on a cliff 150 feet from the ocean, and the elegance of the fine-dining establishment that makes it a great venue for celebrations.
The Oyster Bar has been a fixture on western Washington’s picturesque Chuckanut Drive for decades. Built in 1927, it was once an oyster stand for Rockport Oyster Co., now Taylor Shellfish, based in Shelton. In an effort to sell more oysters, Rockport set up a stand on Chuckanut drive that eventually evolved into a restaurant.
The Colberts had previously run Steinbeck’s Creative Cuisine in Newport Beach, Calif., but when the lease of that restaurant was up for renewal and they learned they would not be able to purchase the land, they looked for an opportunity elsewhere.
“We knew the Oyster Bar and loved it, so we jumped at the opportunity to buy it,” says Linda Colbert.
To read the rest of the feature on the Oyster Bar, click here. Written by SeaFood Business Contributing Editor Lauren Kramer, the story ran in the September issue of SeaFood Business magazine.
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