Pike Place Fish Market
47°36′33.93″N 122°20′30.12″W / 47.6094250°N 122.3417000°W
Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
Owners | Jaison Scott, Ryan Reese, Samuel Samson, Anders Miller |
---|---|
Website | http://pikeplacefish.com |
Pike Place Fish Market is an open-air
History
The Pike Place Fish Market was purchased in 1965 by John Yokoyama, a former employee of the fish market, who bought the store to make enough money on an owner's salary to afford the car payments on his new Buick Riviera.[4] Initially, Pike Place Fish Market was unknown outside of the Seattle area, but Yokoyama and his staff decided to change that in a meeting with a business coach in 1986.[2] Prior to the meeting, the Pike Place Fish Market was near to bankruptcy, and the consultant, Jim Bergquist, was helping them to conceive of ways to save the business.[2] A fish market employee at the meeting suggested that they not only save the business, but make it "world famous", with the ideas for the business' flying and thrown fish, games with customers, and staff attitudes of always enjoying their work, so that customers would as well.[2] In an interview, Yokoyama stated, "We took a stand that we were going to become world famous. We just said it and it became so."[5]
The bronze piggy bank sculpture nicknamed "Rachel", a popular symbol of the market, was created by Whidbey Island sculptor Georgia Gerber in 1986. It raises approximately $10,000 per year in donations for housing and services in low income areas.[6]
Four years later, in 1990, Ted Turner's Goodwill Games were held in Seattle. News crews at the Pike Place Market discovered the fish market and its performances with customers, and they filmed them. Soon afterwards, the fish market appeared on Good Morning America, leading to the business and its employees being filmed by various film crews, and being featured in numerous magazines.
Today, the fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Market perform in front of up to 10,000 visitors a day during the summer tourist season. Another popular feature of the Fish Market is the
In 1991, CNN named the Pike Place Fish Market as one of the three most fun places to work in America.[8] It was bought by four of its former employees in 2018.[9]
Fish throwing
The Pike Place Fish Market is widely known for its custom of hurling customers' orders across the shopping area. A typical routine will involve a customer ordering a fish; the fishmongers in orange rubber overalls and boots will call out the order which is loudly shouted back by all the other staff, at which point the original fishmonger will throw the customer's fish behind the counter to be wrapped.[8] The repeated shouting of fish orders started out as a prank on one employee, but became a tradition as the display was enjoyed by customers.[10] When at work, the fish market's staff continually yell to each other and chant in unison while throwing ordered fish.[11] Occasionally they will throw a foam fish into the crowd to scare bystanders, or select a customer from the crowds to participate in the fish toss.[12] The market displays a sign in the general area which reads "Caution: Low Flying Fish".[13]
Films, books and popular culture
In 1998, the Pike Place Fish Market was the subject of a documentary film and accompanying book,
References
- ^ "Do you provide world-class service?". Reliable Plant Magazine. Noria. 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-27. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f "Caution: flying fish ahead: the 2006 general session promises insights, smiles and scales". Parks & Recreation. National Recreation and Park Association. 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ "Delicious ways to explore Seattle's foodie paradise". The San Diego Union-Tribune. October 17, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Our Humble Beginnings". Pike Place Fish Market. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ Seattle Times. 2008. Archived from the originalon July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ The Origins of Pike Place Market's Famous Pig Archived 2021-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, Seattle Magazine, July 2016
- ^ Fish, Peter (2007-06-01). "Seattle to market". Sunset. Sunset Publishing Corp. Retrieved 2007-05-27. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d Bauman, Margaret (2006-11-26). "Good times means good business at Pike Place". Alaska Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ "'It's surreal': Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market sold to fish-throwing employees". The Seattle Times. 2018-07-20. Archived from the original on 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
- ^ Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ Pfeiffer, Cristina (2006-03-22). "Seattle highlights". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ "Fishy tale could cause indigestion". Europe Intelligence Wire. Financial Times Ltd. 2005-11-08. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- Wall Street Journal. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
Further reading
- When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace — From the Word Famous Pike Place Fish Market, Yokoyama, John and Joseph Michelli. New York: Hyperion, 2004.
- "Catch: A Fishmonger's Guide to Greatness", Crother, Cyndi and the crew of Pike Place Fish. Berrett-Koehler Publishers (January 1, 2005)
External links
- Pike Place Fish Market official website
- 5:12:60 official blog