PROPRIETORS
Guy Devillier / David Hoefer
A Czech and a Texan walk into an Italian cafe and end up buying the place five years later. But the story starts a few years before that.
In 2001 Guy (L) was working for a large computer services company in Dallas when he was assigned to a project in Seattle. A Texan by nature and rabidly Texan by nurture, Guy met David (R) his first weekend here. David, a Tacoma native, operated his own landscaping company. The boys hit it off, and Guy permanently moved to Seattle six months later. They’ve lived in the Mt. Baker neighborhood since 2002.
The two continued in their chosen lines of profession until Guy left the glamorous world of IT. After walking the seven blocks from home to That’s Amore to find them understaffed on the floor, Guy became a server at the cafe in 2013. By 2018, both gentlemen had become more closely tied to That’s Amore with Guy helping the owner with operations and David using his talent for improving indoor and outdoor spaces. The two took the reins of That’s Amore in October 2018. David shut down his landscaping company when the pandemic hit to work in the cafe full time.
So what gave a landscaper and an IT nerd the gumption to buy and operate a cafe? Their love of the cafe itself. They’ve learned everything else along the way. The pandemic taught them their operating mantra: We get to carry each other. They hope that mantra and their love of the cafe show through in every meal served.
GUY’S RECOMMENDATION
The Texan Margarita
teremana small batch blanco tequila, cointreau, lime, grand marnier float, candied jalapeño
DAVID’S RECOMMENDATION
Fungo Davi
locally-sourced roasted mushrooms, garlic, white wine, parsley, pecorino (dine-in only)
THE STORY OF AMORE
That’s Amore Italian Cafe is a 38-seat eatery perched on the ridge of the Mt. Baker neighborhood in Seattle, WA, with panoramic views of Puget Sound and downtown Seattle. Since 1998 That’s Amore has been serving dinner nightly. The menu offers traditional Italian fare that often has Pacific Northwest flare. And service foregoes pretension and instead celebrates the Italian food experience: eating should be an event rather than simply a meal.
The previous owner spent almost 20 years creating this neighborhood go-to dining hub and social gathering space. Guy and David know the role this cafe plays in this neighborhood because they’ve lived just seven blocks away for more than 20 years. Guy joined the team in 2013 as a server and the owner’s right hand man. Soon after Guy started serving at Amore, David–a landscaper by trade–turned his skills toward cafe dining room improvements and outdoor space enhancements. So the two already had a significant footprint in the life of That’s Amore when the owner sat them down in the spring of 2018 with big news: He would be selling the cafe to pursue a dream opportunity across the country but would delay placing the cafe on the market if David and Guy wanted to purchase That’s Amore. They jumped at the offer.
David and Guy hosted an event at the cafe where they asked about 70 guests and members of the Amore family to purchase gift certificates to fund the down payment. By the end of the next week, the guests had raised the entire purchase price. The boys were so honored by the show of trust from the guests not only with their money but with the well-being of this amazing cafe. Two months later, David and Guy took the reins and became the owners of That’s Amore Italian Cafe on October 1, 2018.
During the pandemic, those same loyal guests supported the cafe through lots and lots of carry out orders and buying even more gift certificates to provide cash to the cafe during those dark months.
Now get over here for some great food and experience what our guests already know: There’s nothing typical about That’s Amore Italian Cafe.
