Gardner’s reopens and check out Honeycuspe, a Belgian waffle food truck
Gardner’s restaurant, a longtime downtown Olympia destination for seafood and steak, has reopened for business at 111 Thurston Ave. NW after a six-month hiatus, co-owner Sarah Felizardo said this week. She has owned the business with her sister, Chelse Pagel, for 14 years.
The business closed for one reason: COVID-19.
The sisters considered reopening the business a couple of times after it closed in mid-March, but finally settled on Sept. 16 because things “have leveled off a little bit,” said Felizardo in reference to the number of COVID-19 cases in Thurston County, which have been lower after they peaked in mid-July.
Although open, the restaurant will operate on a limited basis, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. You can dine-in at Gardner’s, but you can also get takeout and curbside service, Felizardo said. Bottles of wine are 30 percent off and customers can get craft cocktails to go as well.
“We appreciate the love and support and the the well wishes we have received over the last six months,” she said.
The menu has been streamlined a bit, but Felizardo said they still have the dessert tray and most of the classic favorites.
For more about Gardner’s, see their Facebook page.
Honeycuspe
Gardner’s has been around for years, while Honeycuspe, a business that sells sweet and savory Belgian waffles and espresso out of a food truck, has been in business since October 2019, owner Eric Beaudoin said.
You can find the truck parked outside Northwest Beerwerks, a tap room in Olympia at 420 Steele St. SE.
A longtime restaurant worker, Beaudoin finally wanted to go into business for himself. Originally from Portland, he moved to Olympia to be with his girlfriend and set up shop.
One of the most popular waffles has two eggs, cheese, bacon and is drizzled with aioli, he said. You also can get a Belgian waffle with fried chicken, or perhaps you have a sweet tooth, like the owner, and would prefer chocolate chips. He does that, too.
“I love the versatility of it, the aesthetic of it,” he said about making waffles. “I go to great lengths to make it pretty, or at least I try to.”
Honeycuspe is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. There also are two other food trucks in the same area. One is called Boka Island Fusion, the other Taco-Lote.
Beaudoin encourages customers to come during the week because the wait can be long on the weekends.
Honeycuspe can also be found on Facebook.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
