About Emory's on Silver Lake

Our Story

We initially opened our restaurant in May, 1994, in a new building we had constructed on the shore of Silver Lake. The property was formerly known as the "Silver Beach Resort", a private park dating back to the early 1930's. Prior to this restaurant, we had a full service restaurant in Mukilteo called "The Seahorse" from 1978 until 1994. In all, we have over 32 years in the hospitality business in Snohomish County.

In early November of 2009 we had just returned from our first ever trip to Europe where we spent three weeks in the south of France with friends and fellow restaurateurs Claude & Janet Faure {Charles At Smuggler's Cove French Restaurant - Mukilteo}. Two days after our return, and what was to be the first day back to the restaurant, we were awakened by a phone call from our alarm monitoring service at 4AM alerting us there was a fire alarm activated at the restaurant. Upon arriving at the property just after 4:30am, we found the restaurant fully engulfed in flames and being fought by several battalions from the Everett Fire Department. The building and twenty years of effort became a total loss in front of our eyes. After a substantial Everett Police investigation, it was determined that arson was the cause of the fire and a local 16 year old boy, who had no affiliation with our business, was found guilty of the crime.

There was a tremendous response in community support and with two 'benevolent accounts' that were established at two local banks with significant contributions we were able to assist our 45 staff members who were suddenly out of work just before the holiday season. After several weeks of deliberation, we decided to rebuild the restaurant. We contracted with Fred Baxter, a Mulkiteo Architect to design the new building and we selected Corstone General Contractors from Snohomish County to construct the new building. Spotlight Design and Bargreen-Ellingson Restaurant Supply finished the interiors and made us functional and beautiful again. With funding from Cascade Bank and assistance from the City of Everett, the process was smoother than expected.  We tried to keep all the reconstruction business local to support the local economy.

The new restaurant opened on Thanksgiving Day, 2010. We had hoped to be open two weeks prior to Thanksgiving to give our mostly new staff some training time in the new facility but, because of some unanticipated construction delays, we opened on a busy holiday. The community response throughout the ensuing holiday season was more than we ever dreamed. We experienced some typical frustrations in our first month of business due to things like computer and some equipment failures, but finished a very stressful year on a mostly positive note. We greatly appreciate everyone's patience and support.

Our Concept

Decisions were made to change a number of things in the new restaurant beginning with the style of service and offering, largely based on customer input and changes in the economy. We wanted to create a comfortable "Northwest lodge" feeling restaurant with high open beam ceilings and stone fireplaces so expressive in the Northwest. We also wanted to change our food offerings to become a more relaxed "neighborhood" establishment for more frequent visits instead of just for special occasions. This is expressed in our new name "Lakefront Bistro and Bar".

Our Goal

We want your experience at Emory's Lakefront Bistro and Bar to be a positive one. Our goal is that in every interaction, in every order we serve and in every experience you have with us that we meet or exceed your expectations. When we miss that mark, we hope that you give us an opportunity to make it right. Please do not ever hesitate to ask to speak to a manager. We want to be your choice in "neighborhood dining" and your place away from home. Pleasant dining!

Sincerely, Your Hosts,
Emory & Molly Cole, Proprietors
Robert Frost, Director of Operations
Oscar Garcia, Chef