DARRINGTON — The walls are painted, the menus are printed and the cooking has commenced.
Bradley’s Diner opened Friday morning in the former Glacier Peak Cafe, 1215 Highway 530.
It’s been about three years since there’s been a full-service restaurant in town. There are several other places to eat, but none with a sit-down breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
Owners Michelle and Doug Bradley plan to have the diner open seven days a week. Current hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It likely will be open later in the summer.
The Bradleys spent about two and a half months fixing the diner before opening day. They remodeled the storeroom, installed new appliances, painted, cleaned and decorated.
It was at times a trying project, Michelle Bradley said. They had to save up for repairs and equipment, and the place was a mess during the heaviest work. Family and friends kept her motivated when the end seemed out of reach.
“I’m a person who wants it done yesterday,” she said. “This has been a project, and we’re seeing it through to the end.”
People have been buzzing about the restaurant for weeks, Darrington city clerk Sonya Blacker said.
“Everybody’s excited, from what I’ve heard,” she said. “I think a lot of it is when you have family or friends in town, you want to have a place to take them out to eat.”
The diner’s menu includes omelets, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, pulled pork, homemade soups and an Asian chicken salad. Michelle Bradley also makes blackberry and apple pies that are locally famous, longtime employee and friend P.J. Wieferich said.
“There’s healthy options as well as your comfort foods,” Bradley said.
It’s a different selection than the grub at the Bradleys’ other Darrington eatery. The couple has run the Burger Barn at 1020 Emens Ave. for about seven years. They plan to keep it open in the spring and summer and make the diner their year-round business.
The Burger Barn has weathered some hard times for small businesses, and Michelle Bradley learned a secret to success that she’s bringing with her to the diner.
“People are it. Period,” she said. “That’s how I stay afloat.”
There are about 12 employees at the diner and four at the Burger Barn, but that could change based on how busy they get. The diner seats 82 people.
“I’m hoping to fill it up all the time,” she said.
The diner has been a labor of love for the Bradleys and their employees, Wieferich said.
Along with her job at the diner and Burger Barn, Wieferich is a paraeducator at the Darrington School District. Her after-school job is her social time.
“Being a teacher is quite stressful, so I come to work to de-stress,” she said. “The restaurant is always the hub. The information station, I call it.”
A wood bench just inside the front door of the diner is carved with the word “Darrington” surrounded by trees and cabins, and doors leading to the dining area have glass windows etched with angels. There are few other adornments.
“My walls are bare because I’m keeping them for people who want to show off their art,” Michelle Bradley said. “I want local artists.”
She hopes to rotate pieces through the restaurant so people can appreciate the talent in the area.
One local artisan, Brook Alongi, runs a custom leather shop in a small building behind the diner. He opened Whitehorse Studio last year and sells handcrafted items like belts, saddles, purses and motorcycle gear.
He’s glad to see the restaurant reopening. The eatery could complement his business, Wieferich suggested. Visitors might stop for a bite to eat and decide to go shopping, or vice versa.
“It’s going to be more than just a complement,” Alongi said. “It’s going to be fun.”
He wants to have monthly live music outside in the summer and make the area a rest stop for anyone coming through town.
Though business is likely to peak during the summer, when travelers come through on their way to hiking, camping and rafting trips, the diner really relies on locals, Michelle Bradley said.
“It’s for the community, so people can just sit down and get some coffee and have some pie,” she said. “This is a community that loves to gather.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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