Retail Tipsheet: Nearly time to fill up at Filling Station

A new Fairhaven restaurant will give customers a chance to enjoy burgers and fries in a place where they feel like they’ve been transported back in time.

John and Wendy DeFreest are putting the finishing touches on JDub’s Filling Station, which is going into the former AW Asian Bistro space at 1138 Finnegan Way. They are aiming for a soft opening in the first week of November for lunch and dinner, along with breakfast on the weekends.

The restaurant will have gas station-themed memorabilia, including signs, license plates and an antique gas station pump. It’s a tip of the hat to the old gas station across the street and to that period when filling stations were full-service operations, Wendy DeFreest said. Employees also will be dressed up like gas station attendants.

While the memorabilia is focused on filling stations, the menu is about burgers, fries, beers and milkshakes. The fries will be called dipsticks, for example, while hot dogs will be known as spark plugs and one of the burgers is dubbed The Thunderbird. The meat will be locally sourced when possible, and veggie burgers will be available. Along with regular milkshakes, the Filling Station will have “boozy frappes,” or shakes with a bit of alcohol. The restaurant also will offer growlers, adding another meaning to the Filling Station name.

“We want it to be a place where people can sit down and enjoy a burger and beer,” John DeFreest said. “I’m excited to see how people will take to this place.”

The DeFreests also own Avenue Bread, so expect plenty of their local bread to be part of the meal. That includes bringing in bread not normally seen at a burger joint, such as some goat cheese savory rolls.

As if opening a new restaurant isn’t keeping them busy enough, the DeFreests have plenty on their plate over at Avenue Bread. They are continuing work to open their Avenue Bread restaurant in the Waples Mercantile Building in Lynden, something Wendy and John expect to be ready around the start of the year. They also recently opened a kiosk in the Lummi Administrative Building at 2665 Kwina Road.

Details about JDub’s Filling Station can be found on its Facebook page.

ROCKET DONUTS CLOSED A WEEK FOR REMODEL

Rocket Donuts will close both its downtown and Fairhaven stores Oct. 26-Nov. 2 as the downtown operation gets a major remodel.

Since the doughnuts and ice cream are made in the downtown store at 306 W. Holly St., a decision was made to close both stores while work was done, said Kim Mindnich of Rocket Donuts. The upcoming remodel will focus on the backroom area, moving around equipment and ventilation systems. The result will be an expanded backroom that will allow for growth.

Once that work is complete both stores will open, but the front of the Holly Street store will continue to be remodeled. During November, the plan is to sell donuts and ice cream as a to-go operation at the Holly Street store because indoor seating will be unavailable. Once the remodel of the front part is complete, the store will have more seating than before.

Mindnich said they chose this week for the remodel because it is usually a slower period for ice cream sales and before the traditional windy November weather arrives.

Rocket Donuts does plan on participating in the Halloween Trick-or-Treat events by handing out candy at the downtown and Fairhaven stores, Mindnich said. The downtown Halloween event happens 3-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, while the Fairhaven event happens 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

OTHER TIDBITS

A regional natural foods pet store called Mud Bay is opening a Bellingham store at 1022 Lakeway Drive, next door to where Whole Foods is going in at the Lakeway Center. The store is planning for an early December opening, offering a variety of food for dogs and cats. The company has several stores in the Seattle and Portland areas. Details can be found at mudbay.com. ... Starting this week Hammerhead Coffee will be sold at the five Whatcom County Haggen grocery stores. Co-owner Scott Hartwich said they will be selling 12-ounce bags of Velvet Elvis, Whatcom Dark, Sunnyland Brew, Chuckanut Gold, Hammerhead Stout, and Breakfast Blend. Coming soon is Hammerhead’s Holiday Brew. ... The Punjabi Junction restaurant at 4370 Meridian St. was recently approved by the state liquor control board to sell beer and wine. ... Ciao Thyme has submitted a Bellingham building permit to convert the upper floor to a banquet room at 207 Unity St. ... The Woods Coffee is continuing its partnership with Western Washington University to make its Viking blend roast, with some of the proceeds going toward Western scholarships. So far in 2015 the Viking Blend has generated $2,000 toward Western scholarships.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 5:29 AM with the headline "Retail Tipsheet: Nearly time to fill up at Filling Station."