The days are numbered for evening meals at the Blue Star Cafe & Pub (4512 Stone Way N). As of this writing, the number is two.
That’s right, your last chance to enjoy a Hot Blue Burger (or Green Lake Salad or Classic Reuben or Chicken Soft Tacos) at night will be this Saturday, February 2. As of Sunday, the Blue Star will shift to breakfast and lunch only, closing at 3 pm.
This came as a bit of surprise to many people, including me. I mean, take a look at the photo below, taken Thursday night at 8 pm, and you’re not seeing a restaurant lacking evening patronage.
So it made sense, then, to hear Wendy Morales, the owner and general manager, say that this had nothing to do with lack of patronage.
“No, our business is amazing. It’s not about that,” she explained. “It’s more that we’re in an era of specialization and people want to see businesses be their best and be what they’re best at. For the Blue Star, that’s breakfast. It’s what I was born into, it’s going back to roots.”
And that’s the truth: Wendy’s father, Leon Torrey, opened Eggs Cetera in Madison Park back in 1975, which became the Eggs Cetera on Broadway on Capitol Hill shortly after. Then in 1997, he moved Eggs Cetera to Wallingford, combined it with the burgers, local beers and pub fare menu from his Sweetwater restaurant and opened the Blue Star.
Blue Star Owner and General Manager
“The restaurant business was a way of life, our family’s home away from home,” she wrote on her menu. “As early as 9 years old, I found a way to the restaurant to work with with my dad. My first job was folding cloth napkins into bishop’s hats for a penny each.”
Wendy peeled off into the corporate world for a while (and raised a family), but in 2009, bought the Blue Star from her father and has been operating it very successfully ever since.
For those of you who adore the menu, don’t worry. Wendy assured me that her evening fare favorites would still be available.
“We’ve always had an all-day menu. If you’re a nurse, you can come in for a burger at 7 am. The menu will still have wings and tacos and of course burgers and that sort of thing. The top sellers will still be there,” she said.
“It’s just that my vision for the future is that the Blue Star is the go-to place for breakfast. That’s our identity, it’s what I grew up doing, and that’s where I want to put all our energy.”
They’ll be expanding to include more breakfast sandwiches, grab-and-go items, and hope to wind back their opening by an hour to 6 am, to “honor those who get up early and get a go on life.”
To honor those of us who get a go on life, but not necessarily that early, she also plans to add a Bloody Mary bar on the weekends, as well as milkshakes every day.
She also explained that the reduced hours would allow them to be more available both for early morning business meetings, but also special evening events such as fundraisers, that otherwise they would not have been able to accommodate.
But, if you want a non-special event, just a good, dripping burger with a cold beer in the evening, come on down tonight or tomorrow and enjoy it before it’s too late.
(Thanks for the tip, Jessica Westgren!)
Glad to hear they are doing well, but our nephews will be sorely disappointed – being able to order breakfast at dinner was a real treat! (On other hamd, for us grown ups, “oooh…bloody mary bar….”)
Farewell, Blue Star. And thanks for twelve years of being our weekly hangout for neighborhood beer night!
Very disappointing for those that could only get there after work. I think the owner is missing out on what a great gathering place it was to unwind after work. Seems like a terrible waste of space to have such a prime location only using up part of the day.
I’m guessing there’s more to this story than “specializing in breakfasts”.
If you are correct, one possible explanation could be the sheer difficulty of hiring and retaining employees in a city with dozens of restaurants opening every week (see Bethany Jean Clement’s regular columns in the ST) and a cost of living that impinges too greatly on the income of some wait- and cook-staff.
I am sorry to hear this. Where will I and 200 others sit out the famous once a year power outages? ( Kidding, but it has been a comforting port in the storm.) My guess is that Little Big Burg has cut into business a bit and maybe management simply needs a rest. I have enjoyed so many meals with them- I shall continue, but not after 2:30 PM. ( comment re comment)