Lavish Roots to cut 263 jobs as contract transition prompts closures

Lavish Roots is set to eliminate 263 jobs across Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond as a longtime corporate dining contract moves to a new vendor, a change that lands hard on workers before an August 9 deadline. The Washington WARN notice filed June 8 says the separations are permanent, while the company says the transition is meant to keep employees from missing a paycheck.

The filing names affected locations in Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle and Burien, including Wildstar, Genesis, End Zone, Building X and Firefly in Redmond; Showcase - Hemlock, Grain or Shine - Hemlock, Crashpad - Nojo, Highrail - Nojo and Homestead - Keta in Bellevue; The Whole Enchilada in Seattle; and Lavish Roots’ headquarters at 15320 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien. The notice says the employees are not represented by a union, have no bumping rights and will continue to receive pay and benefits due to them until their termination date. It also says Lavish Roots sent a separate benefits letter to eligible employees and copied the offices of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Burien Mayor Mo Malakoutian.

Lavish Roots later said the business is not closing its doors. President Carly Duke said one of the company’s largest and longest-standing clients had worked with Lavish Roots for nearly 11 years and expanded from a single cafe to 22 Seattle-area locations before moving to a global vendor. Duke said the incoming contractor was expected to make the handoff seamless and prevent any gap in pay or income.

The scale of the cut is striking because Lavish Roots has been a major local employer in a niche that often operates out of sight, serving office campuses, cafeterias and catered events. A Burien economic development profile said the company peaked at more than 400 employees and served about 6,000 people a day across 15 Puget Sound sites. Lavish Roots says corporate dining makes up about 70 percent of its business, leaving it especially exposed when a single large account changes hands.

The company says it still plans to grow in the Seattle area, with retail cafes, senior services, a deli partnership at Pike Place Market and a potential restaurant project. Its website describes Lavish Roots as a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise founded by Carly Duke, Ann Lamb, Brandon LaVielle and Evan Garrard, and says it offers paid time off, 12 paid holidays, majority employer-paid health, dental and vision coverage, basic life insurance, a 401(k) match and continuing education support. For the workers named in the WARN filing, the next two months will decide whether this is a contract transition or the start of a deeper reset in corporate dining.