PORT ANGELES — Coburn’s Cafe regulars had cake with their morning coffee Friday.
The Christmas Eve cake was a tribute to 15-year owner Darla Coburn, whose last day was Friday.
“Today, I wanted to work with my mom one last time,” she said.
Coburn sold the neighborhood restaurant at 824 S. C St. in Port Angeles to her mother, Gloria, and son, Ryan.
Ryan Coburn, 28, will run the small family business.
“He’s a fantastic cook,” Darla Coburn said.
“He’s been here since he was a little kid.”
Gloria will help her grandson run the eatery as she did her daughter.
“My niece [Chrelle] works here, my other son [Brady] works here, my cousins — so pretty much a family operation still, minus me,” Darla Coburn said.
“We’ve had some dear friends that have worked here that are more like family than friends.”
As for her future, Darla Coburn will spend a few months traveling through California and Arizona.
She plans to return to Port Angeles in the early spring, when she will become a new grandmother, then decide what to do next.
“I have no plans, no reservations,” Darla Coburn said.
Customers, many of whom are regulars at the cozy eatery, learned of the change in ownership about two weeks ago.
“It’s like a home away from home for a lot of these guys,” Darla Coburn said.
Bob Philpott, one of Coburn’s Cafe’s loyal customers, said Ryan Coburn is more than capable of running the restaurant.
“Oh, I think he’ll do a wonderful job,” Philpott said.
“He’s been doing so much of it at different times that he knows all facets of the work, and we’ll continue to have lots of people coming here for meals.”
Some of the regulars are so familiar with the breakfast and lunch menus that they don’t even need one, Darla Coburn said.
“Our customers are even really a part of our family because you see they’re so loyal,” she said.
“They come in here every day, some of them — every day. This is their social hour.”
Some of the most popular items on the menu are biscuits and gravy, clam chowder and hash browns, which are made from scratch, Darla Colburn said.
Everything on the menu, which includes specialty omelettes, specialty burgers and sandwiches, is $10 or less. The small business relies on word-of-mouth advertising, Darla Coburn said.
Coburn’s Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
“Everything will run just like it did before,” Darla Coburn said.
“Nothing’s going to change except for the name on the piece of paper.”
Darla Coburn has worked in the restaurant industry since she was 15. She said she will miss the people and the social aspect of the job.
She thanked her customers “for the love and support and friendship through the years.”
“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said.
“I’m going to miss them a lot.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
