Skippers Seafood & Chowder House is a group of independently owned and operated locations licensed by Starway Restaurants, LLC. There are currently licensed Skippers restaurants operating in Oregon and Washington. Starway Restaurants, LLC has also re-introduced Skippers clam chowder in ready to serve cans and Skippers tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and coleslaw dressing sold in grocery stores and over the Internet. There are over 30 Skippers locations operating under limited license agreements with Starway Restaurants, LLC.
History
Skippers was founded by Herb Rosen in Bellevue, Washington, in 1969, at which time Skippers began serving fried fish, prawns, scallops and clams, as well as chowders. Its corporate headquarters was eventually moved to Edmonds, where it stayed for many years until moving to SeaTac shortly before the original Skippers, Inc. was dissolved in 2007 and the Skippers brand was sold to new ownership. Skippers experienced rapid growth during the 1970s as new restaurants were opened in several western states and British Columbia, Canada. In 1989, Kansas-based National Pizza Company purchased Skippers, Inc., closing some restaurants. National Pizza Company operated Skippers until 1995, when it was purchased by Meridian Capital and from 1995 through 2002, the Skippers management team introduced a line of grilled entrees, including grilled wild caught salmon, halibut, and chicken. In late 2002, Skippers was purchased by a group of Pacific Northwest investors although this venture was short lived. New logos and new products were introduced in the spring of 2003, and again in 2007. As of 2007, there were Skippers stores operating in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. On December 12, 2006, Skippers, Inc., filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Court in Seattle in an organizational restructuring. The restructuring failed, and Skippers, Inc., was liquidated on June 29, 2007. Of the 58 stores remaining after Skippers initially filed for bankruptcy, approximately 14 were sold to various individuals and corporate interests through limited license agreements. When the sales of individual units and closures were finalized, Skippers, Inc., ceased to exist as a corporation. Starway Restaurants acquired all of the intellectual property of Skippers Seafood & Chowder in late 2007. As of October, 2019, there are seven conventional Skippers restaurants known as "Ships of the Line" in operation in Washington and Oregon. Skippers also offers a limited number of menu items in "Go Fleet" locations typically found in convenience stores and supermarkets. As of October, 2019, there are 77 Go Fleet locations.
