Oskar’s German Deli set to reopen in Lacey

Fans of Oskar’s German and European Deli rejoice: The popular restaurant in Lacey, which closed more than a year ago, is set to reopen in the same place with a familiar face.

The familiar face is Peggy Scott, who ran the business for more than 14 years before she sold it in October 2012.

After Oskar’s closed in August 2013, Scott vowed to reopen it with a business partner, telling The Olympian in May that she was willing to lend her expertise and recipes to a new owner to get the business going again. One of those recipes is for Oskar’s popular potato salad.

Scott confirmed Monday that she has signed on as an employee, saying she wants to work for two more years and then retire.

“This is a very happy occasion,” she said. “I’m pretty excited.”

Scott has teamed up with new owner and veteran restaurant operator Martin Dominguez, who has run Paco’s Tacos in Lacey for seven years. Scott has dined at his restaurant, he said, and finally they hatched a plan to restart Oskar’s.

Paco’s Tacos is next door to Harbor Freight Tools on Lacey Boulevard.

The rental agreement is in place and the keys are in hand, Dominguez said. The next step is to get the space ready for a January opening, possibly as early as Jan. 2, he said.

Oskar’s — and the sign is still in place — is in Market Square, across from Fred Meyer.

Dominguez said he has a lot to learn, including the menu, but he’ll take the same approach that he has with his existing business, making sure to prepare authentic dishes with no shortcuts.

“It will be done in the right way,” he said about Oskar’s.

In addition to Scott, Dominguez said his daughter will help out at the business.

Scott believes there is pent up demand for Oskar’s food. No matter where she goes, she said, someone always asks her, “When are you going to open up?”

Oskar’s didn’t officially become Oskar’s until 1968. That’s when Oskar and Lydia Weiss, Germans who had previously lived in Romania, took over the business, said Renate Koenig, their daughter, who recently clarified the history of the business.

After Scott ran the business, she sold it to Tess Millar. Millar ran it from October 2012 until it closed in August 2013.

This story was originally published December 15, 2014 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Oskar’s German Deli set to reopen in Lacey."