Chef Bryan Vietmeier and his wife, Rebecca Rouleau, bought Take 5 Urban Market in early 2024 after working at the Ballard corner store and sandwich shop for a combined 30 years. Together, they had helped build up the business: Vietmeier created a menu of sandwiches where nearly every component was made from scratch, while Rouleau focused on providing high-level customer service. Take 5 became the kind of place where a neighborhood kid can walk in saying her mom needs some heavy cream for a recipe and Rouleau will pour some into a cup for her.
Then, four months after the couple purchased it, the business exploded. Literally. In May 2024 a natural gas explosion blew out the windows and burned out the interior. Nearly everything — except for the espresso machine — was ruined.
It took 11 months, but Take 5 was able to rebuild thanks to insurance. When it reopened it was swarmed with grateful customers. “When you have something and it's taken away, you then really understand what you have. That was us with the neighborhood and the neighborhood with us,” Rouleau says. “They realize how important having this kind of thing in their neighborhood is, and then vice versa for us… having this connection with our neighborhood and knowing how important we are to the neighborhood.”
Take 5 remains a staple for neighbors who want soda or simple grocery items, but it’s also become one of Seattle’s sandwich destinations. Occasionally, one of their menu items blows up online, precipitating a sudden spike in orders. One time it was the Caesar salad wrap, another time it was the breakfast sandwich. Then there was the day when everyone in line was ordering the meatloaf burger. “We were like, ‘What in the world’s happened?’” says Rouleau. And we go, ‘Oh, the meatloaf burger’s on the internet.’”
