Meet Rebecca Denk & Erin Nestor, owners of Two Doors Down Beer and Burgers in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle, WA. Erin and Rebecca’s burger joint, Two Doors Down, is in fact two-doors-down from their bar, The Bottleneck Lounge.
Get to know more about Erin and Two Doors Down in this week’s business spotlight Q&A!
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in and why?
Our favorite part about the community in which we’re based? It truly is our community! We’ve owned a home in the Central District for over twenty years, and the proximity to our restaurant allows me to walk to work – it’s a great feeling to see your neighbors, local business owners – even the UPS driver who delivers to our house – in the restaurant.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters? Small businesses in Seattle add unique flavor to the city – the people who own and run them live and work here – we’re invested in EVERYONE’s success and we believe that all ships rise. If my neighbor is doing well, it lifts the block and brings the community together.
As a business owner, what’s the strangest or craziest idea you’ve ever tried?
We opened at 8 am for the Women’s World Cup Championship in 2019 and assumed very few people would come at that hour – but the bar was PACKED. Every table was taken and my staff – and my lovely wife – scrambled to make pancakes and serve beer to a wild crowd of cheering fans, mostly women. The United States won the match and the crowd celebrated into the afternoon – it was a tremendous day….and I served a tremendous amount of beer!
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
We actively cater to the gluten-free and vegetarian audiences – our deep fryer is dedicated gluten-free, and our beer-battered onion rings are hand cut and battered with Ghostfish Gluten Free Vanishing Point Pale Ale. In addition to our regular veggie burger, we offer both the Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers.
What are some of your favorite local businesses and why?
Come on really?! There are so many awesome businesses it’s hard to list a few – but I’m a big fan of Sugar Pill (Karyn Schwartz does so much for our community and is a constant in the fight for social justice), Reckless Noodles (tremendous food and a leader of the burgeoning food scene on S. Jackson St), The Clock Out Lounge (woman-owned music venue and neighborhood bar on Beacon Hill. Jodi Ecklund is keeping the old school Seattle scene alive), and Jellyfish Brewing, because Suzie Cruz’s beer is outstanding!