POSTED: Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Bandito's in Bellingham gets new owner and a few changes

There's been some sprucing up taking place at Bandito's Burritos, but the new owner is a familiar face to longtime customers.

Kristi Christianson took over ownership of the Bellingham eatery in December from Gerry Kingslien and Zoe Hallstrom. She closed the restaurant for 10 days during the holidays to do some refurbishing, including a fresh coat of paint and redesigning the menu hanging on the wall. As an homage to the previous owners' cycling theme, the new menu boards are linked together by bike chains.

Christianson started work at Bandito's at age 19, working there five years before moving on to other jobs in the food service industry. Now 27, she's been happy about the first weeks of 2010, with sales outpacing last January, typically a slow month for local restaurants.

"When I first heard about the offer, I told myself I would give myself a few days to think about it, but I knew right away I wanted this opportunity," Christianson said. "(Bandito's) is a very comfortable environment for me, and I know how it works."

While keeping the core aspects of the business in place, including what's on the menu, Christianson is making some changes she thinks will improve the business, which was founded in 1995.

The first will take place in the coming weeks, when customers will be able to use a debit or credit card to pay for meals (previously the only way to pay was by check or cash).

Also in the coming weeks she plans to have a late-night burrito bar, catering to the college crowd and bar fans. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Bandito's will be open from 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. to go along with its regular hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Christianson plans to expand the catering services, allowing customers to make their own burritos at events such as business lunches. Bandito's also will have daily specials with a happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m.

"I'm not trying to change too much, because this is a successful business and we love our regulars," Christianson said. "We just want to try a few new things to see if we can expand our base."

As a new owner, Christianson said she's comfortable with the front end of the restaurant, particularly interacting with customers, but is still learning about the other aspects of running a business, such as taxes and leasing.

"It's been hard, but I love it," she said. "I certainly have more respect for business owners who have been doing this for a while. It's a lot more hours for me, but I couldn't do this without employees like Sarah (Camiel, manager at Bandito's)."

The restaurant is at 120 W. Holly St., near Sportsman Chalet. For details, visit banditosburritos.com.

OTHER TIDBITS

• Silver Safari, which is currently in the Kohl's wing at Bellis Fair, is moving into the former Sweet Factory space next to Kay Jewelers.

• Hooligans Tattoo and Salon has moved to 1240 E. Maple St., Suite 104, near The Pizza Pipeline. It had been on Commercial Street.

• There's a sign up for Power Fitness Super Smoothies at Bakerview Square as a potential new tenant.

• There is a new liquor license application for the gas station/mini mart at 2730 Meridian St. (near the Meridian Haggen). The new business name on the application is Soojung, and the applicant is Joung S. Kim.

• Portable Kid, which sold equipment to haul babies and children around, closed earlier this month. It had been at 1208 Cornwall Ave. According to the company's Web site, Portablekid.com, someone was planning to buy the business, but the financing didn't get approved.