Wharf Restaurant, Inc. v. Port of Seattle

Facts of Case

In August of 1976, Wharf Restaurant, Inc. (Wharf) received a $1,300,000 offer to purchase the Wharf Restaurant which it operated on premises leased from the Port of Seattle (Port) at Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. It was only a few months later that the Wharf neglected to timely exercise the option to renew its lease. When the Port leased the premises to another operator, The Wharfside Companies, this litigation ensued.

The Wharf entered into its original lease with the Port in 1951 and commenced its restaurant business at Fishermen's Terminal in 1952. The original lease was for…