Eating Good, Feeling Great with Conscious Hospitality Group

Conscious Hospitality Group's Danny Brawer and Norman Wu have always believed taking risks is necessary in the restaurant industry. Early this year, they opened three new restaurants at The Bellevue Collection, bringing some life back into Lincoln Square South Food Hall. The duo brought these thoughtfully curated new eateries to the space: KODE Pizza, a Detriot-style pizzeria with Korean flavors, Club Seltzer, a non-alcoholic seltzer bar, and EatDirt, a grab-and-go spot for artisanal salads and sandwiches. 

“We're always find ways to branch out into new concepts and diversify within the boundaries of ‘good for you’ food,” Brawer said.

Brawer and Wu's risky way of doing business isn't new. They bonded during their youth at a Mercer Island elementary school. The pair stayed close, moving to Los Angeles after college where they became hooked on and subsequently inspired by the newest food craze: poké. For Brawer, it checked every box, being a healthy, quick, and delicious option that he found himself eating three times a week. Realizing the fresh fish bowls hadn’t surfaced in Seattle yet, the friends decided to take a chance and move back to their hometown. The first location of Just Poké opened soon after in Kirkland in 2016.

Despite their lack of restaurant experience, that one decision led them to expand the fast-casual eatery to 29 different locations in Washington, with one located in British Columbia. Just Poké generated so much hype that people would drive from all over Washington to try it. However, Brawer says that its fast success didn’t immediately win everyone over -- the biggest initial challenge was getting people to take the team seriously.

“We were 26 years old and new to the game. This was coming off the time when the frozen yogurt trend had dissipated and cupcakes were quickly doing the same, so landlords were pretty hesitant to take a chance on us young, inexperienced people.”

With their newfound success and a dream to create more concepts focused on health and wellness, they decided to officially start a business together under the name Conscious Hospitality Group. Today, both Brawer and Wu live in Bellevue and are elated by the positive feedback they’ve received in the area. They attribute part of this success to the influx of new residents as Bellevue's continues to accommodate more people, and the communal, supportive atmosphere of the city.

"We really appreciate how the community has embraced us and shown up for the concepts that we've opened. The reception has been so warm from the jump and we're really excited about how things are going," Brawer said.

Since opening Just Poké, they've created a handful of new successful restaurants, including cult favorites such as Matcha Magic and Sugo Hand Roll Bar.

Conscious Hospitality Group is now looking forward to their newest enterprise, a partnership with local business owner Lisa Nordstrom to expand her cafe, Sano, into 10 new locations. It's this "think big" mindset that has contributed so much to their success, and it's only a matter of time before they dream up another way to change PNW food culture for years to come.