Canlis Restaurant
Canlis is a third-generation family-owned fine dining restaurant in Seattle, founded in 1950, offering a 6-course $185 tasting menu, an award-winning wine program, cocktail lounge, and private event spaces for affluent diners and event hosts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Canlis Restaurant does
Canlis Restaurant is a third-generation family-owned fine dining establishment founded in 1950 by Greek immigrant Peter Canlis at 2576 Aurora Ave N in Seattle, Washington. The business operates from a single physical location — an architecturally significant building originally designed by Roland Terry and subsequently developed by Jim Cutler and George Suyama — and serves affluent diners, private event hosts, and lounge patrons under third-generation owners Mark and Brian Canlis (since 2007).
The core product is a 6-course tasting menu priced at $185 per person, with guests selecting three courses and the kitchen preparing the remainder; signature dishes include the Canlis Salad, prepared tableside from the original 1950 recipe. Adjacent revenue lines include a cocktail lounge with live nightly piano (under Head Barman José Castillo) holding Seattle's first post-prohibition liquor license, private event suites (the ~1,500 sq ft Penthouse and ~400 sq ft Executive Room) catering seated dinners of 6-80 and cocktail receptions of 12-110, an award-winning wine program directed by Ally Lanoue that has earned 28 consecutive Wine Spectator Grand Awards and trained 4 Master Sommeliers, and a gift card e-commerce storefront. Reservations are processed through the Tock platform.
The revenue model is entirely transactional and consumer-facing: per-cover dining, per-bottle corkage fees of $50 (capped at two bottles per reservation), event rentals, lounge consumption, and gift card sales. The business employs 82 staff, offers industry-leading benefits including 75% employer-funded health insurance and a 75%-match profit-sharing 401k up to 8% of pay, and derives its commercial momentum from earned media, three James Beard Awards (across 15 nominations), the 2019 James Beard Design Icon Award for the building, and a Spring 2025 ranking as the #2 Restaurant in America by Food & Wine Magazine. There is no institutional ownership, no venture or private equity investment, and no disclosed expansion beyond the single Seattle site.
Canlis Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canlis Restaurant
- Legal name
- Canlis
- Website
- https://canlis.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Canlis is a third-generation family-owned fine dining restaurant in Seattle, founded in 1950, offering a 6-course $185 tasting menu, an award-winning wine program, cocktail lounge, and private event spaces for affluent diners and event hosts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Canlis Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fine Dining Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)
Keywords
Where Canlis Restaurant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Canlis Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fine Dining Reservations: 6-course tasting menu dining experience at $185 per person, with optional course additions and modifications for dietary requirements. A 20% service charge is added to all bills, fully retained by Canlis.
- Private Events: Private dining suites (Penthouse and Executive Room) available for events with varying capacities. Inquiries handled via email.
- Lounge Service: Cocktail lounge open for walk-ins with live piano nightly, featuring crafted cocktails and bar menu.
- Corkage Fees: Corkage fee of $50 per bottle for up to two 750ml bottles per reservation, applicable to wines not on the restaurant's list.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in any denomination with $5 shipping charge. Recommended amount of $500 for dinner for two.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 6-Course Tasting Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Canlis Salad Additional Course |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Copper River Sockeye Salmon Upgrade |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Corkage Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Service Barista / Service Team |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Line Cook |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Canlis Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Canlis Restaurant is a single-location fine dining establishment in Seattle offering a 6-course tasting menu at $185 per person, supported by an award-winning wine program (28 consecutive Wine Spectator Grand Awards), a craft cocktail lounge with live piano, and private event suites (Penthouse and Executive Room). It also sells gift cards online and accommodates dietary restrictions through chef customization.
Product overview
Canlis Restaurant is a single, unified fine dining experience offering multiple interconnected services: a 6-course tasting menu ($185 per person) as the core dining product, an acclaimed cocktail lounge with live piano entertainment, private event spaces (Penthouse and Executive Room), and an award-winning wine program. The restaurant also offers gift cards as an ancillary product. The various offerings work together as a cohesive luxury dining experience, unified by the restaurant's 75-year heritage and commitment to hospitality.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 6-Course Tasting Menu A 6-course fine dining experience at $185 per person where guests select 3 courses and the kitchen prepares the remaining 3, with optional add-on courses including the signature tableside-prepared Canlis Salad ($20/person) and Copper River Sockeye Salmon upgrade ($25/person). A 20% service charge is applied to all bills and retained fully by the restaurant.
- The Lounge A cocktail lounge within Canlis operating under the first post-prohibition liquor license in Seattle (1949), featuring nightly live piano entertainment and craft cocktails. Open for walk-ins without reservations, it provides an alternative entry point to the Canlis hospitality experience.
- Private Events (Penthouse and Executive Room) Two private dining suites: the Penthouse (~1,500 sq ft with full-service bar, baby grand piano, and Lake Union/Cascade Mountain views; seated 25-80, cocktail reception 25-110) and the Executive Room (~400 sq ft with fireplace and 10-foot windows; seated 6-24, cocktail reception 12-30). Inquiries handled via [email protected].
- Canlis Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase online at giftcards.canlis.com in any denomination, with a recommended value of $500 for a dinner for two. Orders ship within 5-7 business days and incur a $5 shipping charge.
Quantifiable outcome
- 28 consecutive Wine Spectator Magazine Grand Awards (since 1997)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Canlis Restaurant
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Canlis Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Canlis Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TockcoreTock serves as the reservation booking platform for Canlis, allowing guests to reserve tables online. The restaurant was booking through June with July reservations released on May 1st.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Canlis Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Inn at Little Washington: Patrick O'Connell's Virginia destination restaurant is a multi-decade American fine dining icon comparable to Canlis in heritage, James Beard recognition, and rural/destination positioning with a tasting menu at premium pricing.
- Eleven Madison Park: Daniel Humm's New York City flagship offers a multi-course tasting menu at the highest price points in American fine dining and serves the same affluent experiential-dining segment that Canlis targets.
- n/naka: Niki Nakayama's Los Angeles modern kaiseki tasting-menu restaurant parallels Canlis's heritage Japanese hospitality influence and serves the same Pacific Coast destination fine-dining guest.
- Le Bernardin: Eric Ripert's NYC institution is a globally recognized fine dining restaurant with an award-winning wine and beverage program, comparable three-decade-plus prestige and similar affluent guest profile.
- Alinea: Grant Achatz's Chicago tasting-menu restaurant competes for the same destination fine-dining guest with an avant-garde multi-course format at premium pricing comparable to Canlis.
- Single Thread: Kyle and Katrina Connaughton's Healdsburg, CA farm-to-table tasting-menu restaurant is a West Coast direct peer with a similar seasonal multi-course format, premium pricing, and wine country destination model.
- Per Se: Thomas Keller's New York tasting-menu counterpart to The French Laundry, offering a similar nine-course experience at comparable price points and serving the same East Coast affluent guests as Canlis serves on the West Coast.
- Atelier Crenn: Dominique Crenn's San Francisco tasting-menu restaurant is a West Coast direct competitor for the same destination fine-dining guest, with comparable accolades and price positioning.
- The French Laundry: Thomas Keller's Yountville, CA restaurant is the benchmark American fine dining establishment with a multi-course tasting menu, similar prestige positioning, and national/international guest base directly comparable to Canlis.
- Benu: Corey Lee's San Francisco three-Michelin-star tasting-menu restaurant competes for the same West Coast affluent guest with a similar multi-course format and elite industry recognition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Canlis Restaurant social profiles
Digital presenceCanlis Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canlis Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Canlis Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canlis Restaurant M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Canlis Restaurant
What does Canlis Restaurant do?
Canlis Restaurant is a single-location fine dining establishment in Seattle offering a 6-course tasting menu at $185 per person, supported by an award-winning wine program (28 consecutive Wine Spectator Grand Awards), a craft cocktail lounge with live piano, and private event suites (Penthouse and Executive Room). It also sells gift cards online and accommodates dietary restrictions through chef customization.
Is Canlis Restaurant a public or private company?
Canlis Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Canlis Restaurant founded?
Canlis Restaurant was founded in 1950. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Canlis Restaurant based?
Canlis Restaurant is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Canlis Restaurant make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Fine Dining Reservations are the primary driver. The others are private Events, lounge Service, corkage Fees and gift Cards.
Who are Canlis Restaurant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Inn at Little Washington, Eleven Madison Park, n/naka, Le Bernardin, Alinea, Single Thread, Per Se, Atelier Crenn, The French Laundry and Benu.
Does Canlis Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canlis Restaurant.
What industry is Canlis Restaurant in?
Canlis Restaurant's product category is Fine Dining Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAG, Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants, with a secondary code of CRANACAD, Cocktail Bars & Lounges. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.