Weekend Listen: Where have all the diners gone? Examining Seattle’s “K-Shaped” economy

Seattle Now

KUOW News and Information

Daily News, News

4.7 • 670 Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2026

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW podcast, Booming… The middle class economy is quintessentially American. It’s a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve the growing middle class after World War II. Think coffee and apple pie at your neighborhood diner. Or back-to- school shopping at Sears. But companies that cater to the middle class are cratering under the weight of the affordability crisis. Why is the middle economy disappearing? And what does it mean for the businesses we love?

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know, every day on Up First, NPR's Golden Globe nominated morning news podcast, we bring you three essential stories.
0:06.8	At the heart of each story are questions.
0:10.1	What really happened?
0:11.3	What really mattered?
0:12.5	What happens next?
0:13.8	At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious and to follow the facts.
0:18.5	Follow up first wherever you get your podcasts and start your day knowing what matters and why.
0:24.8	KUOW brings you local news built by listeners.
0:28.9	Everything we do, every story, every article,
0:32.3	every podcast is powered by you.
0:35.4	We're a non-profit news organization built right here in the Pacific Northwest,
0:40.2	bringing you news and stories that fuel your curiosity, spark conversation, and inform your daily life.
0:47.1	Find us here at KUOW.org or on the KUOW app.
0:55.2	Hey, good morning. Patricia Murphy here.
0:58.2	It's Saturday.
0:59.5	This is Seattle now.
1:01.0	Today we're bringing you the best from another KUOW podcast, booming.
1:05.8	The middle class economy is quintessentially American.
1:08.8	It's a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve a
1:13.0	growing middle class after World War II. But it's struggling. Companies that cater to the middle
1:18.8	class are cratering under the weight of the affordability crisis. Why is the middle economy
1:24.4	disappearing? And what does it mean for the businesses we love? Here's Booming's
	...

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