Can Waitsburg Keep Its Eateries Open?

WAITSBURG - Nearly one year after a miniature-Main Street revival, some of Waits- burg's restaurants aren't getting enough local customers to keep their doors open. At least one is on the verge of closing its doors this summer, owners confirm.

Last August, three new res- taurants had their grand opening and received an enthusiastic reception: Betty's Diner, the An- chor Bar and Coppei Coffee Co. (owned by the Times Publisher Imbert Matthee). Another eatery, La Monarca, also opened last summer.

It's clear from talking to the owners that not enough local residents have embraced the con- venience of having restaurants on Main Street and that one newer establishment is at risk.

After Taqueria Don Miguel shuttered last summer and the White Stallion closed in November, it appears Don Miguel's successor, La Monarca, is con- sidering closure.

The Anchor Bar closed down this winter when the tourists were gone. There weren't enough local customers to keep the doors open those months, said Lynn Ander- son, who does outreach for An- chor Bar Owner Charles Smith.

"The majority of the people coming in to (Anchor Bar) are not locals," Anderson said. "We were not getting anybody."

Other Main Street restaurants, such as the Whoop Em Hollow Café and the jimgermanbar, typi- cally close at least several weeks and reduce the number of days they're open in the winter.

Mayor Walt Gobel said there's not much the city can do to help businesses keep their doors open, other than ask residents to patronize the local businesses. The rest is up to them.

"How do we encourage peo- ple to stay in town and eat?" asked Waitsburg Mayor Walt Go- bel. "All we can do is encourage."

Gobel said he and his wife Gwen make an effort to eat in Waitsburg at least four times a month.

Jose Reyes, who works at La Monarca, said he and his family haven't yet decided if their restau- rant will close. He said most of the customers are from out of town and the traffic has not been steady enough to keep the doors open.

Reyes said his family is talk- ing about the restaurant's future and may decide soon on whether to keep their Waitsburg location.

To get more locals in our restaurants, Gobel suggested restaurant owners invest in more advertising or working with the Commercial Club on a plan to help our restaurants survive.

"If we had the money to (do more advertising) we'd do it," said Tiffany Laposi, co-owner of Betty's Diner on Preston Avenue.

Laposi said the restaurant does get a lot of traffic, especially on Sundays and during town events. She said the signs on the highway make the restaurant visible and helps to draw in cus- tomers. A few groups of locals frequent the restaurant, but "it would be nice to have more," she said. Laposi would welcome more town events, possibly host- ed by the Commercial Club to help boost traffic. The restaurants do best on special weekends like the parade and car show, the pig roast, reunion weekends and so on, she said.

"We really haven't done a great deal as far as (restaurants) are concerned," said Robbie Johnson, the president of Waits- burg's Commercial Club. "We do think it needs to be addressed."

Right now the club is not meeting because it breaks for the summer. Johnson said it is also a problem that the volunteers in the club are stretched thin with their own businesses and other com- munity projects.

Restaurants may have been put on the back burner because not many owners are part of the club, possibly due to when the club meets, on Tuesday evenings, when restaurant owners are work- ing, Johnson said. The club has contemplated moving its meet- ings to daytime hours so more restaurant owners could attend.

At one point, Johnson remembers eight restaurants in town and the culture became survival of the fittest. He said the restaurants Waitsburg has now may simply be too much for the 1,200 residents to sustain.

Gobel said he believes that when Waitsburg residents go to Walla Walla or Dayton for retail shopping they also stop and have lunch or dinner, adding to the problem in Waitsburg.

Johnson believes there needs to be a better relationship between retail and restaurants in Waitsburg to keep everyone open.

Mostly, Johnson agreed that something should be done to help the restaurants, whether it's send- ing email reminders to residents to eat locally or getting restaurant owners more involved in the club.

"Very few businesses can survive on tourism traffic alone," he said.