Twenty-seven years ago in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Yoshino Teriyaki was opened by a man named Tanh Tran. More commonly known by his nickname “BB,” Tran had worked in a Japanese restaurant prior to opening his own and was eager to put the experience to use. He worked hard to make his restaurant a success, putting in long hours and perfecting offerings such as the spicy chicken teriyaki, which would become the restaurant’s signature dish in later years.
Tran’s work started to pay off, with Yoshino Teriyaki gaining a dedicated customer base and being recognized as one of the best teriyaki restaurants in the city by local news outlets such as the Seattle Times, Eater Seattle, and Seattle Weekly. Tran even helped a popular Seattle teriyaki chain, “BB’s,” get its start and is the namesake of the restaurant today because of it. Business was good for Yoshino Teriyaki, with Tran and the restaurant getting well-deserved notoriety.
Fast-forward to today, and you’ll still find Yoshino Teriyaki on First Hill, located on Madison Street. If you visit during business hours–Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., Tran will likely be there, cooking and taking orders, just as he has since 1998. You can still order a spicy chicken teriyaki that many say is the best Seattle has to offer. However, you may not see as many customers there as in the past. Certain obstacles have made it difficult for Yoshino Teriyaki and its patrons in recent years.
“There used to be a lot of customers that would use the street parking out front. Now it’s very hard for the customers with the bus route in the way,” Tran said. Many of the recent patrons have been repeat customers who already know how to find the restaurant. The RapidRide G line bus began servicing Madison Street in September 2024, creating a bus lane that removed the street parking in front of Yoshino Teriyaki. In addition, the bus stop in the middle of the street has made it harder to get to the restaurant by car. Tran explained that many people used to discover the restaurant by driving on Madison, but recent changes have hindered those opportunities.
In addition to parking challenges, Yoshino Teriyaki has had to adapt to a changing neighborhood. Tran described how “a lot of regulars move away and don’t come here as often.” This shift could be the result of many factors, but a major one is likely the rising cost of living in the area around the restaurant. According to the Consumer Price Index, in the last 10 years, rent in Seattle has risen by an average of 5.2% every year. For context, a $1,000/month studio apartment in 2015 would cost just over $1,500/month today, which may be on the low end of the scale for First Hill. Price increases like these can push residents out of the neighborhood, hurting small businesses that are more dependent on a regular customer base like Yoshino Teriyaki in the process. Despite these challenges, the restaurant has withstood in large part because of its owner and his friendly nature.
“People come into the restaurant just to see my dad,” said Tran’s son, Ellis, who is a full-time student at both North and South Seattle colleges and also works part-time at Yoshino Teriyaki. “He has a lot of humor, and he’s been consistent for the last 27 years.”
Having Yoshino Teriyaki–and places like it–around is especially important in our current times. It’s easy to take for granted the value that local, family-owned businesses bring to a community. At Yoshino Teriyaki, that value is shown by an owner who has been a constant presence in a changing neighborhood, a diverse range of customers who interact with the city every day, and a place to get a tasty meal from a familiar face. When we visit places like Yoshino Teriyaki, it’s hard not to feel more connected to the neighborhood. In this time of fewer face-to-face interactions, this kind of connection is more important than ever.
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