The Sisters Restaurant Reinvents Itself
This beloved family-owned Everett diner almost closed forever during the pandemic. Then it was saved by the grandson of the original owner and bounced back with a fresh new vision for plant-based foods and quality espresso.
Imagine the ideal American diner/deli. Stacked sandwiches, thick slices of homemade pie, solid coffee in diner mugs, and classic burgers with the little sliced pickle on top. All of this, laid out perfectly on a Formica table with a napkin holder and bottles of mustard and ketchup. Classic.
This is the quality dining experience that you can expect at Sisters Restaurant in the Public Market building in downtown Everett, Washington. Only, instead of greasy grilled goods, imagine that this fare is lovingly created from scratch with quality ingredients literally every day. No reinventing the wheel here, just consistent, delicious comfort on a plate!
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-49-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=3b780fbb73ba99e4a9a9c4be2c68a5d7 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-49-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=318c53f2fbeccdb1a88bcb79b93222a0 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-49-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=f8c66f88da5d02efec30f2a905e763a4 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-49-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=71585a8dd7500230a6b9fb42971db177 853w)
The Sisters Restaurant is somewhat of a legend in Everett among old-timers. It’s been family-owned and operated in the same spot near the Salish Sea waterfront since 1983. For decades it was operated by three of the six Quall sisters, natives of Everett. Their mother established the restaurant shortly after the waterfront lumber mills closed, a time when downtown real estate was cheap, and the city core was vacant. It was to be an investment for the Quall family for generations to come.
Since then, the beloved family-owned restaurant has built a cult following among locals with their no-nonsense, from-scratch all-American comfort food, pastries and, pie. Folks have been meeting up here regularly for decades to talk Boeing politics and local news over stacks of syrup-drenched pancakes or an eggs benedict laden with all the hollandaise sauce and dripping golden yolk.
So it was with great sadness that the Sisters Restaurant announced their closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, a bleak economic interval of time -- an estimated 2,000 restaurants closed in Washington State in 2020. For about a year, the fate of the beloved business hung in the balance. Martha Quall, the original owner of Sisters, and matriarch of the family, was all set to sell the business.
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=f1f3b5f4c17c4ecb05a9b21136ac26c0 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=f40790d45c62ead395c3535036244add 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=eba5a02d962c6d5af58055d82c3c8f46 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=f94f3325554cdb0951f0ef16330cb08a 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=3a0cb3e01d7957579d3bce545ebbb992 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-43-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=97f13a590effa84ff35bafd1c9920796 1280w)
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-37-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=2c1cc28ed96f7174cada94e57027e9d7 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-37-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=6fbf995bd7f37beaea1168aeae8205c8 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-37-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=cae4dda36b8a9517efebdd6c6540e641 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-37-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=dcc9ab3308e2539dcd749b3bcb0a2061 853w)
Enter Jackson Quall, grandson of the original owner. In 2021 he announced that he would reopen the restaurant along with his girlfriend Archie Chandler. Jackson, born in 1985, literally grew up in the restaurant. His first job was washing dishes in the back. Jackson and Archie, a vegan couple, also announced that they would reboot the menu to offer fresher take on the classic fare.
Jackson, a resident of Seattle’s Capitol Hill, has indeed brought a more modern vibe to the beloved Everett establishment, swapping out fluorescent lights and bright colors for more ambient tones and a muted palette. He kept the vintage Formica tables, exposed brick walls, and wooden floorboards that were once trodden by riveters during World War 2. The guts of the original establishment are still here, but the spirit has changed. It’s a new vision.
With Jackson and Archie securely at the helm, the legacy restaurant is on its third generation of management with no plans to call it quits any time soon. Locals flock to Sisters more than ever, sometimes lining up out the doors for brunch on the weekend. That’s a sign that they’re doing something right.
So, when in Everett, eat like a local. Go where the delicious goods are and support this small family business that could – and still does. Choose Sisters.
Sisters Restaurant
2804 Grand Ave, Everett, WA 98201
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=c2cb85996d41da0fa74d940d90103d01 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=05ce04e94123565acb22303c2698f5e6 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=07f6953526c45ced6946fe463116c0ad 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=2531e14b8637ad985159f13197d3168f 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=70763a08c6f57ff3fe4ec0d11ea7657f 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/EliseGiordano_EverettCoop-53-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=ccca6c4b3748528710b60562a4471470 1280w)
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