Photo Caption: Masked owners Perryn & Desiree Wright celebrate 7 years in business.
School may be out for summer, but Teachers Lounge is in session and serving up scholastic themed cocktails and childhood favorites from their gastroteria menu. If nostalgia is your itch, then Teachers Lounge is the place to scratch it.
Teachers Lounge is owned and operated by Washingtonian, husband and wife duo, Perryn and Desiree Wright. They are lifelong service people with twenty-five years bartending and industry experience. When the pandemic hit, like most local businesses, they had to temporarily close their doors.
This had a crippling effect not only on their business, but also personally as Desiree is battling cancer and consistent cash flow is imperative for the couple. To keep business afloat they applied for everything, including grants and SBA assistance. Thus far they have received PPP and EIDL assistance, enabling them to pay their commercial rent and reopen doors in accordance to the mandated guidelines. Perryn says, “We’ve had our ups and downs during our tenure, but failure is not an option.”
June 25, 2020, marked Teachers Lounge seven year anniversary and Desiree is on the road to recovery after undergoing a successful surgery. The lounge is in full compliance with Phase II restrictions and open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5pm to 10pm. When asked what has the vibe and traffic been like since entering this new phase? Enthusiastically Perryn states, “The mood is pretty happy and there’s been lots of repeat business.” Guests are required to wear masks when entering and leaving the establishment, but not while seated. Grilled sandwiches are still top sellers and although they serve an array of draft beers and wines, specialty cocktails are predominately ordered the most.
To ensure safety, Teachers Lounge no longer uses paper menus. Perryn says, “Directing people to use their smart phones to view the menu is a better alternative and saves trees.” They are also diligent with maintaining social distancing and monitoring room capacity limits. Perryn is grateful for support from the community and hopes patrons will continue to appreciate their efforts of following the rules and doing the right thing.
Teachers Lounge will be open on July 4th, 5-10pm, visit https://www.teachersloungeseattle.com/ for more info.
