'Not what Seattle needs': Canlis closing restaurant to open drive-through, delivery meals amid virus outbreak

SEATTLE -- One of the city's most renowned fine-dining restaurants is trading in white table cloths for bagels, drive-through burgers and dinner delivery amid the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled western Washington.

Canlis, a three-time James Beard Award winner, is closing its Queen Anne restaurant starting Monday (March 16) and opening three other food options instead: a breakfast bagel shed, a burger drive-thru for lunch and a family meal dinner delivery service.

The drive-thru lunch starts Monday with burgers, veggie melts and ice cream sandwiches, among other choices. The bagel stand will open Tuesday, and the dinner delivery starts Wednesday with a home-cooked meal and a bottle of wine brought to your door step.

Canlis was built in the 1950s. It's been nominated for the James Beard Awards 10 times and now has three awards total. The first was in 2017 for Outstanding Wine Program.

It's one of countless businesses adapting their model since telecommuting, school closures and other social distancing measures began in western Washington and brought drastic drops in revenue for hotels, restaurants, bars and more. Layoffs have already started at several restaurants and hotels.

More are likely as quarantines and the number of coronavirus cases increase in western Washington.