David Meinert, who co-owns and operates several high-profile places in Seattle, from the newly renovated Comet to Lost Lake Diner, recently purchased Grim’s on 11^th Ave. Meinert, who is just as well known for his thought-provoking social media posts as he is for his businesses, seems to have an opinion on wide-ranging topics, from the NFL to Capitol Hill gang crime to music. We had a chance to catch up with the successful entrepreneur to ask about these issues, and more!

 

What is it about Seattle culture and the Seattle food scene that drives you?

I am driven by a belief that I can impact the world around me and make it better and more interesting. I find spaces and events that bring people together, especially centering around food, music, and politics, particularly interesting.

Explain your love of music – were you big into grunge in the 90’s? What are you listening to right now?

I’ve been into music as long as I can remember. It has played a role in many aspects of my life, from my religious life when I was younger, to love, friendship, entertainment. I’m not sure I’d say I was big into Grunge, but I was definitely a fan of Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Nirvana, and Tad. But I liked a lot of local music back then that wasn’t associated with Grunge, like The Posies, The Walkabouts, Pure Joy, The Gits, 7 Year Bitch, and tons of others.

Grim’s is your latest acquisition – what are your aims and hopes for the new spot on 11th?

For now we’re keeping it as is and seeing what’s working and what’s not. Then we’ll make changed based on that analysis.

Your back and forth with Tom Morello is already famous in town – any parting thoughts on the matter?

The way you treat people in the service industry is a pretty good indicator of the quality of person you are, regardless of how you tell other people to act.

You’ve been very vocal about gangs here in Seattle – what does the city need to do to step up and help protect its people? 

I’ve really only been vocal about a group of kids in Pike/Pine. I’m not any sort of specialist on gang violence. In the case of Pike/Pine, I think the answer is complex – we need better policing, and an increase in community policing. Then we need the police and the prosecutors to work together better. But police won’t, in itself, fix the issues that lead to crime. In this neighborhood, and I assume many others, we need better social service outreach, and especially help with the mentally ill. This takes funding we don’t have, which means higher taxes.

If you could own a restaurant in one other town besides Seattle, what kind of place would it be and where?

When I go to other cities, I want to relax and explore. So owning a restaurant there always seems counter to my goals of traveling.

In the wake of all that’s happened in the NFL recently – from Adrian Peterson’s child abuse to Ray Rice’s domestic violence – what would you like to see from the Seahawks as a positive response in the face of all this ugliness?

I’m not an expert on the sports business, but it seems the issues the NFL is having start in organized sports at a young age. It needs to be addressed at every level. I watched tons of jocks act out when they were in high school and college. If it’s not addressed at that level, the NFL will have a hard time addressing it.

What are you and your group’s plan for the future?

We’re going to continue to look for opportunities, run the places we have, and look at how we can make our neighborhoods better places. We also want to keep getting better at how we run our businesses, making them great places to visit, as well as great places to work.