In October, Ballard's beloved Bad Albert's Tap & Grill will reopen under the ownership of twin brothers Shawn and Cory Rockey.

In June, Steve Katsandres announced that due to personal health issues and financial hard times he would be closing Bad Albert's after being in business for over 16 years.

Now, the Rockey brothers are happy to announce that they'll continue the business with the same name, kitchen crew, and customer service standards people have come to expect of Bad Albert's.

"Steve was the epitome of old school customer service and we want to build on that," Cory said.

Cory and his brother Shawn are long-time Ballardites who have been doing business together since they opened their first lemonade stand as five-years-olds and later deliveredthe Ballard News-Tribune as carrier boys.

As adults, they've worked in a variety of industries including distributing, construction, and most recently, credit card processing.

"Our real passion is in old school customer service and taking care of people," Cory said.

When they're not doing business together they're volunteering together. The brothers have been involved with the Ballard Boys and Girls Club for over thirty years and shared the Volunteer of the Year award in 2008.

"We love Ballard. We went to school here, I bought the house next to my parents, and our kids all went to the same schools we did," Cory said.

Cory said they had been looking for opportunities in the local restaurant industry for quite a while and after the news of a possible closure of Bad Albert's trickled through the grapevine, they expressed interest to owner Steve Katsandres.

Cory has been dating a staff member of Bad Albert's for three years and has gotten to know the restaurant well over the last few years.

Katsandres liked the idea of passing on the business to Ballardites and in the end, the choice was between the Rockey brothers and the owners of Lockspot Cafe.

"I guess Lockspot didn't quite have their funding secured yet and we already had the funding so we got it," Cory said. "We have become pretty close with Steve through the whole process and it was important to us that we continue Bad Albert's with his blessing."

The restaurant is undergoing some decorative updates but when it reopens in October, people can expect the same atmosphere and good food.

"Being Ballard guys we really believe in this small town feel, good customer service and great food that meets expectations time after time," Cory said. "We are very lucky that we get to keep the kitchen crew and some of its long-time staff. It's the best kitchen crew in Ballard."

The brothers revealed that the menu will be approximately 80 percent the same with all the customer favorites and a couple new items like pasta dishes and fresh seafood.

They will also have a brand new beer tap system that will feature 12 beers, eight of which will be rotating local beers including a cider and a rotating Bad Albert's customer favorite tap.

In addition, they will offer two wine taps - one red and one white.

Shawn said people are really anticipating the reopening of the tap and grill.

"The momentum has really built since we hung up that reopening sign," he said.
"People are stopping by constantly."

The brothers said that in addition to a regular "killer" breakfast, Bad Albert's will bring back the late breakfast to Ballard. Offered from midnight until 3 a.m. on the weekends, Shawn said Bad Albert's will be the place to get breakfast and sober up before going home.

Follow Bad Albert's Tap & Grill on Facebook to receive updates on the October reopening.