Ivar's facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ivar's |
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1938 |
| Current owner(s) | Ivar Haglund |
| City | Seattle |
| State | Washington |
Ivar's is a well-known seafood restaurant chain. It started in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. You can find Ivar's restaurants around the Puget Sound area and in Spokane, Washington.
Ivar's also owns another restaurant chain. It's called Kidd Valley Hamburgers. This chain sells burgers and is also based in Seattle.
Contents
The Story of Ivar's
Ivar's was started in 1938 by a man named Ivar Haglund. He was a folk singer from Seattle. Ivar built Seattle's first aquarium on what is now Pier 54.
First Restaurant and Growth
To feed the aquarium visitors, Ivar added a small fish and chips stand. This stand didn't last very long. But on July 22, 1946, Ivar opened a new restaurant. He called it Ivar's Acres of Clams. It was in the same spot as the old stand. The aquarium closed ten years later, but the restaurant is still there today.
Ivar's has two other big restaurants. One is Ivar's Salmon House in Seattle's Northlake area. The other is Ivar's Mukilteo Landing in Mukilteo, Washington. It's right next to the Washington State Ferries terminal. All three of these big restaurants have a fish bar outside. All other Ivar's locations are seafood bars. Ivar's is famous for its saying, "keep clam," which you can see everywhere in their eateries.
Fireworks and Community Events
For many years, Ivar's helped celebrate Independence Day. From 1964 to 2008, they sponsored the "Fourth of Jul-Ivar's" festival. This event included a big fireworks show. It took place at Downtown Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Park. The park is located on Elliott Bay. About 300,000 people would come to watch the show.
In 2009, Ivar's stopped sponsoring the fireworks. They decided to focus on helping families in the Pacific Northwest. They partnered with an organization called Northwest Harvest. This group helps provide food to people in need.
The Underwater Billboard Prank
Ivar Haglund was known for his funny marketing tricks. In 2009, Ivar's played a big prank. They spread a story that Ivar had placed billboards at the bottom of the Puget Sound. This was linked to an old idea he had for underwater submarine traffic.
Finding the "Lost" Billboards
Some "evidence" was released, like maps of where the billboards might be. Then, on August 22, 2009, one of the rumored signs was "found." It was pulled out of the water. The sign advertised a cup of Clam Chowder for only $0.75. More signs were "discovered" later.
Ivar's publicly displayed these signs as real. They even said they would honor the $0.75 price for chowder for a short time.
The Truth Comes Out
It turned out to be a big hoax! The signs were actually sunk earlier in 2009. A local historian named Paul Dorpat helped with the prank. He even tried to trick the Seattle Times newspaper. The newspaper's first story about the billboards was suspicious. It said, "if it was a hoax, a prime suspect would be the Ivar's chain itself."
There were small clues left to show it was a prank. For example, the $0.75 chowder price was too low for the supposed date. Also, the wrong governor's name was on a letter from the Department of Fisheries. These clues eventually helped everyone figure out it was a clever joke.
Product Safety Alert
In 2021, a specific product, Kettle Classic Clam Chowder with Uncured Bacon, had a safety alert. This chowder was sold only at Costco stores. It was temporarily removed from shelves in 13 states. This happened because small pieces of plastic were found in some of the chowder.
