The owners of the historic Alki Homestead restaurant plan to sell the eatery to a husband and wife chefs living in the Fauntleroy area.

Co-owner Tom Lin said if the sale goes through, the new owners will take over the restaurant early next year and possibly close it down for remodeling for several months. But, said Lin, the name and the tradition of the Homestead will not change.

"It has been very challenging for me the past few years as I am not a restauranteur," Lin said. "My general manager Chris Long has done a tremendous job at maintaining the family style dining at Alki Homestead.

"I'm not a restaurant person, I can't do it."

It's unclear what kind of remodeling will be done to the 58-year-old restaurant. Architectural renderings are being drawn up now, said Lin, for the Homestead's "face lift."

"I truly believe it will be a better place after all said and done," he said. The sale is not yet finalized and the price is still being negotiated.

Lin said the new buyers will likely be changing the interior of the dinging room and doing a full kitchen remodel.

In March, just two years after purchasing it, owners Lin and Patrick Henley put the business on the market.

"Restaurants aren't really our forte," Henley told the Herald in March. "We are better at other things. It's time for us to move on."

The log structure that contains the Alki Homestead Restaurant was built in 1903-04 as a summer home for William and Gladys Bernard. Once called Fir Lodge, the building and its interior have city landmark status, meaning they cannot be changed without approval of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board.

Lin and Henley will still own the building and the property, which were purchased for $1.2 million in 2006.

The business partners have acknowledged it will be a delicate transition given the emotional connection many faithful customers have with the Homestead. People come from as far as Florida and as close as next door to eat in the historic dining room.

The Homestead will keep its name and the menu will stay "basically" the same with minimal changes. Lin and Henley co-own the commercial property on Alki Avenue between 58th and Marine avenues southwest. They have 10 tenants, including a hair salon, an esthetician, Coastal surf shop, Slices and Pioneer Coffee Co.

Earlier this year, the two nearly sold the pizza joint Slices on Alki, but didn't go through with the sale because the buyer was more focused on bar service than making quality pizza, said Lin. The business is currently being sold to a Monroe buyer.

Like with the Homestead, Lin and Henley will still retain the property.

Current economic conditions haven't seem to effected business at the Homestead, which is booked through the holidays.

"The Homestead is like a staple in West Seattle," said Lin. "It's like a tradition and people don't cut back on that."

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at 783-1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com.