SEQUIM — The owners and staff of Sunshine Cafe will be ready to greet an expected rush of customers when it reopens at 7 a.m. today.
“We are starting a new era,” said Dianne Drake, who opened the business at 135 W. Washington St. with her husband, Allen Drake, in early 2001.
The restaurant has been closed since June 25 to undergo renovations to bring it up to city fire code.
Customers have expressed excitement about the reopening, Dianne said.
“They are starving,” she joked, adding that they “haven’t eaten since we shut down.”
She invites hungry patrons to come out opening day to “get your breakfast fix.
“Our breakfast is off the chain,” she said.
Dianne has received several calls of late from customers inquiring about the opening date and greeted curious people looking through the windows, she said.
“It makes me feel really supported, and I am excited,” she said.
Gisele Thompson, who has waited tables at the restaurant since it opened in 2001, said she is looking forward to seeing the regular customers who patronize the business.
Ready for a rush
And the staff will be ready for a rush on opening day, she said.
It will be “good stress,” she added.
In the back of the house, the cooks were busy Thursday prepping food for the expected onslaught.
Allen said he is “more than excited” as he rushed hurriedly around the kitchen.
The old hood and suppression system were found to be in violation of the city fire code.
In a notice issued June 25, Ann Hall, city building official and fire marshal, said the cafe’s “extensive code violations pose life safety, health and welfare issues for the owners . . . and the general public at large.
“Therefore, the hood and associated fire suppression system are declared to be a public nuisance and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal no later than July 24.”
The hood and suppression system “was out of date and unsafe,” Dianne said.
If a fire had ignited and “the suppression system we had didn’t work” the flames could have spread throughout the building, she said.
The restaurant could have continued serving food not prepared on the flat-top grill, burners and deep fryer, but the owners decided instead to completely close it until renovations could be completed, Dianne said.
Renovations included the total replacement of the cooking hood and fire suppression system, installation of a new deep fryer, new kitchen flooring, new drywall and paint, the rewiring of the electrical system, replumbing of water lines and renovation of the bathrooms.
“Everything had to come out,” Dianne said.
“It is a brand-new kitchen. It is definitely shiny.”
Who did what
The hood and ventilation system was installed by Air Flo Heating Co. of Sequim and the suppression system by Peninsula Fire Extinguisher Sales & Service of Poulsbo, she said.
The electrical work was done by Jarmuth Electric Inc., with additional contractor services performed by JTR Construction Inc., both of Sequim.
The renovations are “going to make it a lot nicer” and will help the efficiency of the kitchen staff, Allen said.
“I think it is really going to help out.”
And customers need not worry about a change in the flavor of the food served at the restaurant, much prepared from scratch, because the old flat-top grill is still in place, Dianne said.
“We didn’t let her go. This is Allen’s baby. She is good and seasoned,” she said.
Automated system
The new ventilation system “is all automated” and adjusts automatically to temperature changes, Dianne said.
The vent hood includes built-in sprinkler heads.
“If the fire ignites, it will shoot liquid” designed to put out a grease fire, Dianne said.
“It is not just water” but includes “a fire suppression product. If a fire ignites, that will put it out in less than a minute. We won’t have to worry about it” spreading.
“It is up to code and it feels safe,” she said. “We don’t have to worry about any issues.”
The hood also has built-in lighting so “we can see” she said. “We didn’t have lights before. We had nothing.”
The ventilation and suppression system alone cost about $23,000, with an additional $10,000 for electrical system replacement throughout the restaurant, Dianne said.
Despite the cost, “I think we will be fine [financially], even though we lost our tourism over the summer,” she said.
Business “is going to just fly right back.”
Sunshine Cafe will begin its fall hours today: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
For more information, call 360-683-4282 or visit www.sequimsunshinecafe.com.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
