Classic burger joint coming soon to Medical Lake

Medical Lake burger lovers prepare your palates - good things may be coming your way.

Debi Long and her husband Joe, of Ruby's on Silver Lake, are working feverishly to open a new classic 50s-style, family hamburger restaurant at 711 East Lake St. they will be calling Jake's.

"I'm just trying to help get this stuff going for her," Joe said in the middle of working on an exhaust hood in the kitchen during a recent phone interview

The Long's have been remodeling the restaurant's interior from scratch, according to building owner Miranda Spilker.

"It was a completely empty building when I bought it," Spilker said of the property she purchased about a year ago and is now leasing to the Longs.

According to local lore, the building has in the past housed the Donut Depot, the Emporium - called either a junk shop or antique store, depending on the person describing it - and a former local gas station and convenience store called Snode's, where some locals recall buying penny candy as kids. The Longs are working hard to make the place their own.

Once remodeling is complete and the restaurant is ready to start serving customers, the couple, along with their granddaughter, and son Jacob, the restaurant's namesake and soon-to-be cook, will offer food all day, seven days per week.

But there's more to the story of the restaurant's name than Joe's son Jacob. As told by Joe, it is also a tribute to the old Jake's Restaurant and Snake Pit Lounge once located in downtown Medical Lake before it burnt down.

"Long-time residents will remember that," Joe said.

When Jacob was a young boy the family would go to the old Jake's for a meal. There, the owner, Jim Alderman, according to Joe, would pull a bar stool into the kitchen and let Jacob flip his own eggs.

"Because his name was Jake, he always ate for free," Joe recalled.

He attributed the experience to Jacob's current interest in the culinary arts.

Joe was practical when asked why they decided to open the restaurant: there was a need in Medical Lake.

"We weren't able to sit down somewhere ourselves as a family and have a burger or a sandwich," Joe said.

He noted that downtown Medical Lake had changed from years past, and family-style restaurants in particular are scarce, the downtown empty.

"I mean, they were shooting zombie movies here," he said. "It was that barren."

Joe acknowledged that Medical Lake does have some chain restaurants on State Highway 902, and other locally owned places where food is available. Still, he said he felt an opportunity existed for place like Jake's.

As a family-oriented, sit-down restaurant, Jake's won't be serving alcohol, nor will it have a drive-thru. But they do eventually plan to offer take-out orders over the phone or online via a website that will go live soon.

The menu is designed not to compete with other establishments in Medical Lake, according to Long, and will evolve based on customer feedback, according to Joe.

Jake's will be open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. -7 p.m., and weekends between 6 a.m.-7 p.m.

While breakfast will only be served on weekends, patrons can look forward to eggs and a variety of pancakes - regular, white and brown chocolate chips, blueberry and strawberry - waffles and sides like bacon and sausage.

The lunch and dinner menu will include a variety of burger choices, plus a grilled chicken breast sandwich, cold sandwiches, deep fried fish, chicken strips, along with fries, tater tots and onion rings. You'll be able to wash it all down with a carbonated beverage, followed by hard ice cream for dessert.

While Joe was illusive about pricing, he did say that "affordable" was the goal.

"It's not going to be gourmet pricing," he said.

Customers can expect a soft opening sometime around late February, possibly followed by a grand opening a month later, Joe said.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com