Johnny’s Dock, the longtime fixture on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway, has gone quiet again. The waterfront restaurant locked its dining room and outdoor deck last weekend, abruptly ending a relaunch that had been underway for less than a year under new operators.
Landlords Say Lease Fell Apart Over Unpaid Bills
Roy Kissler, the majority owner of the marina property, confirmed that the landlords terminated the lease after the restaurant operator fell behind on rent and other obligations. "It just didn't fit, and he started losing a lot of money," Kissler told The News Tribune, adding that the unpaid balance had piled up over roughly six months before they moved to end the tenancy.
Relaunch With Indian-Inspired Menu Was Short-Lived
Gurinderjit “Gary” Purewal and his wife, Poojadeep, brought Johnny’s Dock back to life in mid-2025, rolling out a menu that fused Pacific Northwest seafood with Indian flavors and introducing live music on weekends as part of the reboot. At the time, coverage highlighted their attempt to keep crowd-pleasers like fish and chips while layering in tandoori dishes and naan to appeal to both longtime regulars and curious new guests. WhatNow Seattle reported on the reopening and the Purewals’ early vision for the space.
Interest From New Operators As Owners Shop Big-Picture Options
Kissler told The News Tribune that a group operating several restaurants in Auburn has already shown interest in taking over the Johnny’s Dock restaurant space. At the same time, he said, the owners are talking with developers about the broader marina property. He noted that the ownership group invested about $1 million into renovating the restaurant in 2018 and that other parts of the marina are already leased to different businesses, which he believes makes the site more appealing to potential operators or investors.
Prime Waterfront Site, Many Possible Futures
The building at 1900 E D St is currently listed as a waterfront redevelopment opportunity, with significant shoreline frontage and a 56-slip marina that tend to catch the eye of investors considering housing, hospitality or event projects. Commercial marketing materials for the site emphasize its frontage and redevelopment potential, while city planning documents point to the Foss Waterway as an area where water-enjoyment uses, public access and mixed-use buildings all compete for limited space. For details, see the listing on LoopNet and the shoreline planning documents from the City of Tacoma.
For now, the waterfront dining room and deck sit empty, and the property owners say they are in no hurry to rush a replacement. They say they would rather wait for the right operator or the right redevelopment concept for the prominent site. For neighbors and diners who watched Johnny’s Dock’s brief comeback, the latest shutdown is another reminder that even a high-profile waterfront address in a busy downtown does not guarantee an easy run for a restaurant.
