The Fish Philosophy That Didn't Get Away
Life-Long Lessons from The Pike Place Fish Market
For more than 26 years, I’ve been visiting my pals at Seattle’s world-famous Pike Place Fish Market (PPFM) where they serve up something far more valuable than fresh seafood.
This is a "fish tale" about a philosophy that didn't get away.
It was July 2000, and at the time my initial role with Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET) was to find, research and document best practices inside and outside of the automotive industry, and share this information with Jim Moran, (in photo below).
Mr. Moran, affectionately known by his associates as "The Boss," encouraged me to share this research with him and his team at JMFamily Enterprises. Why? I believe Mr. Moran saw learning as a responsibility that came with success. Someone else’s good idea, process or practice offered a chance to serve customers better, support associates, and strengthen the business.
His curiosity reached beyond the automotive industry because the human questions carried across it: How do you earn trust? Help people take pride in their work? Build better teams? Make customers feel welcome?
That’s part of the allure of the PPFM. Behind the flying fish are people practicing things every business can learn from and adopt: teamwork, care, accountability, and a willingness to contribute.
To me, Mr. Moran embodied a powerful combination: the confidence to build something extraordinary and the humility to keep learning from others.
I knew instantly while watching a training video about the PPFM - more on that video later -that I had to fly to Seattle to learn in person what they do and how they do it.
Once there, and after a conversation with the team about why I was there, they said if I really wanted to know about what they do, and how they do it, I needed to throw on a pair of Grundéns Bib Pants and join them for at least a solid day of work, from 6am - 6pm, (the Market is open to the public from 7am - 5pm). I accepted their offer and showed up at 6am on a Friday after Thanksgiving 2000.
Founded in 1907 and operating since 1930 inside Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, the PPFM stands as a defining cultural landmark.
I felt a strong urge to discover their secret sauce. Not to steal it. Not to benefit financially from it. But to help spread their energy, enthusiasm, and philosophy with as many other people as I could. It was a story worth telling, one which I eventually got to share with hundreds of people on the East Coast through my various positions with SET.
My Day-1 Experience
I brought my energy and trademark "growl" from South Florida, something silly I did with Scion owners back home, and it seemed to resonate with this lively group as well.
I was off to a good start.
Within the first couple of hours on the job shoveling ice, a random customer walked up and asked if she could buy us some coffee. Dan Bugge, (pictured below, in the middle) the lead fishmonger at the time, said, "Kennedy, help the nice lady with the coffees..." and off I went.
She and I walked down the cobblestone street of the Pike Place Market to the very first Starbucks store where she bought $70 worth of coffee for the guys at the PPFM. I carefully carried back eight cups on a tray.
Along the way back, another person asked if she could take my photo, assuming I was one of the fishmongers. I said, "Sure... why not?"
So, here I was, getting my photo taken with a tray of lattes. A car-guy from South Florida.
Why would anyone want to buy coffee for the staff of this fish market? Why would anyone want to take my picture wearing a pair of Grundéns?
Why, I wondered?
Here's what I discovered.
PPFM's Four Mission Commitments
World-class customer service
The finest, freshest seafood available
High standards of marine stewardship and sustainability
Making a difference in their community
World-Class Customer Service
At the PPFM, the fish fly, but it’s the way people are treated that stays with you.
Decades ago, the fishmongers made a conscious decision to become world-famous. They understood that to do so, they would need to offer people something to remember long after they left the Market.
And that something is human connection.
They look people in the eye. They listen. They share a laugh and take the time to make a person feel welcome. Whether someone buys a king salmon or nothing at all, the opportunity is the same: to make their day a little brighter.
The joy behind the counter is contagious, too. The fishmongers work together, encourage one another, and have fun doing it. That spirit reaches into the crowd, where visitors are oftentimes invited behind the counter to catch a flying fish and become part of the experience themselves, as my son Jon did when he was around 5 years old.
But world-class service can also be found in the smallest moments: a conversation with someone traveling alone, the celebration of a regular customer, or a helping hand with a heavy bag.
What I admire most is the intention behind it all. The people at PPFM understand that every person who stops by offers an opportunity to make a difference. And sometimes, all it takes is a little attention, a little kindness, and the willingness to make someone feel seen.
The Finest, Freshest Seafood Available
At PPFM, “the finest, freshest seafood available” begins with trusted fishermen, the waters they fish, and the care taken to bring their catch to the Market.
Seasonal offerings, from Copper River salmon to Pacific Northwest halibut, bring customers seafood at its best. Careful handling and proper chilling protect that quality.
What I appreciate is the pride behind it all. Whether customers are planning a family dinner or a special occasion, they’re trusting the people behind the counter. Pike Place Fish Market honors that trust through the care they bring to their work.
High Standards & Sustainability
At PPFM, healthy oceans are both a livelihood and a shared responsibility.
Through their work with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, the fishmongers have examined where seafood comes from and how it’s harvested. They’ve stopped selling farm-raised salmon and certain vulnerable species, sacrificing profitable products. Stewardship sometimes means looking beyond today’s convenience to preserve tomorrow’s possibilities.
The Market also supports responsible fishing and reduces waste through packaging and the handling of fish byproducts.
What I admire most is how they share what they’ve learned. Visitors come from around the world for the flying fish and often leave understanding why their seafood choices matter. The Market uses its fame to bring people together and its voice to encourage care for our oceans.
Making a Difference in Their Community
PPFM's care extends beyond the counter. In November 2025, they collected soup and protein bars for the “Fill a Bowl, Fuel a Day” food drive, helping neighbors during a disruption in federal food benefits.
The Market also supports the Pike Place Market Foundation, which provides essential community services. And in 2021, the fishmongers donated wild sockeye salmon for Stewardship Partners’ Feast on the Farm, supporting conservation.
What I appreciate is their willingness to contribute, whether feeding neighbors or protecting our natural surroundings. Being part of a community also means caring for it.
On Building a Culture That Makes a Difference
The unique success of PPFM proves that any ordinary, or grueling job can be transformed into a source of joy and world-class service. Their specific business model and energy have directly inspired millions of people, organizations, and industries around the globe.
The Training Video Phenomenon
In 1998, a filmmaker named John Christensen noticed the incredible energy of the fishmongers and created a corporate training film titled FISH!. It became the most-watched workplace training video in the world, accompanied by a bestselling book, (see the cover above), by the same name and used by thousands of companies to boost teamwork and morale - companies that include Toyota and SET.
The lessons of PPFM found in both the video and book have traveled far beyond Seattle. Hospitals, schools, technology companies, and businesses of all sizes have drawn inspiration from four ideas anyone can see demonstrated by the fishmongers on any given day: Choose Your Attitude, Be Present, Make Their Day, and Play.
What makes these ideas so powerful is their simplicity. They remind us that the way we show up, and the way we treat one another, can shape an entire workplace.
While the FISH! video series introduced the Market's basic concepts to the corporate world, Dr. Cyndi Laurin (who co-authored the book with the crew of the PPFM under the name Cyndi Crother) took the inspiration a step further with her bestselling business book, Catch! A Fishmonger's Guide to Greatness.
Interesting side note: Cyndi and I became friends while she was working on this book. She knew I spent a lot of time with the guys at PPFM, and I offered her some insights from my experience with them. Cyndi was even planning on adding a quote from me on the cover of her book, (see the rendition above). Unfortunately, it was nixed by my immediate supervisor at the time.
After staving off bankruptcy in 1986, a fishmonger at a staff meeting suggested a goal of becoming "world famous." And by the late 1990s, they had completely achieved this goal—appearing in movies, late-night television, and national commercials.
John Yokoyama had owned the fish market since 1965. But in 2018, longtime employees Jaison Scott, Ryan Reese, Sam Samson, and Anders Miller bought the Market from Yokoyama and they've since taken the business to new heights.
Having conquered their original goal of becoming "world famous," the crew decided to set a massive new intention of "world peace."
World Peace?
The team acknowledges they aren't politicians or diplomats, but they believe world peace is created dynamically through daily human micro-interactions. By fully "being present" with global travelers and spreading pure joy at their counter, they believe customers carry that positive energy back to their own countries. And they do, just as I did while working at SET. And that's part of their magic.
There’s a lesson in that for any organization.
A meaningful culture grows through the everyday choices people make together: how they show up, how they listen, how they communicate, how they support one another, and how they make others feel.
The fishmongers have shown that when people are trusted, encouraged, and given a shared purpose, work can become a place where everyone has the opportunity to make a difference.
The team at PPFM continues to remind us of the basics:
Enthusiasm is contagious.
Work can be play. (There's always a way to get the job done and have fun doing it.)
Making someone else’s day often makes your own.
We may not always get to choose our circumstances, but we can choose the attitude we bring to them.
I’ve carried these lessons into boardrooms, classrooms, training rooms, and just about everywhere in between. And if you don't believe me, ask anyone I ever worked with at SET. Ask my kids. My wife.
What makes these fishmongers extraordinary isn’t how far they can throw a salmon. It’s how far their spirit, generosity, and philosophy have traveled into the lives of others.
To my pals at the Pike Place Fish Market: Thank you for 26 years of friendship, laughter, inspiration, and lessons that have helped me live a more joyful, purposeful, and more fully ALIVE life! Keep those fish flying.
For more history on the Pike Place Market's Famous Fishmongers, click HERE.
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All photographs by Michael Kennedy (unless otherwise noted) / BlueWolfGallery.com
I’m Michael Kennedy, a resident of Olympic Valley, CA (in photo above with Nicola and Boo). I’m a writer and photographer and I love exploring nature and getting lost along the way. We live in a world that demands our attention and I just want to say thank you for your attention. If you enjoyed this post, please share this with a friend. For more photos and stories visit BlueWolfGallery.com.
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