James Beard-nominated Phinney Ridge restaurant shutters after amassing $160K in debt

Sophon, a Cambodian restaurant specializing in Khmer delicacies, has shuttered after the house owners accrued greater than $160,000 in unpaid debt.

Located in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood, the restaurant’s closure comes only one 12 months after incomes a nomination for a extremely coveted James Beard Award, in keeping with The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Owner Karuna Long had his taxpayers certificates of registration revoked on June 1 by the Washington Department of Revenue, and the reseller allow was finally voided two days later.

Phinney Ridge restaurant earned nationwide acclaim earlier than mounting debt pressured its doorways shut

Between January 2024 and February 2026, Sophon didn’t file eight quarterly stories, in keeping with state Labor and Industries information obtained by The Puget Sound Business Journal. Even although Long made delayed funds in mid-February, the late charges resulted in 1000’s of {dollars} in penalties.

Long previously operated one other enterprise in Phinney Ridge that amassed 1000’s in debt and finally shuttered after a strung-out short-term closure since October 2025. Long’s cocktail bar, Oliver’s Twist, owed $186,529, in keeping with King County Superior Court information obtained by The Puget Sound Business Journal.

In February, employees members held a walkout, and two workers filed nonpayment complaints with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

Long cited “cash flow issues” as the explanation behind the late funds to employees members, together with missed utility and vendor funds, in keeping with The Seattle Times. Sophon paused operations for 2 weeks as Long labored to compensate workers for his or her earnings, and later reopened with a mix of recent and returning employees members.

Since the restaurant opened in 2024, Sophon has garnered a number of nods from native and nationwide critics, reminiscent of being named one of many nation’s 20 greatest new eating places by Bon Appétit and Eater Seattle itemizing it because the “best new bar” in its opening 12 months.

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