Restaurant Update: Changes expected after the holidays

The next couple of weeks will be the final big push before restaurant workers get a break in activity.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve are busy times for get-togethers, whether through catering events or hosting parties. It’s also that last chance for owners to get the business finances into the black and will give them a chance to figure out how they should plan for 2016.

Once the holidays are over, January is traditionally one of the slowest months of the year for local eateries unless they draw a big football crowd on Sundays and the Seahawks are in the playoffs.

January is also a time of transition. It’s often when local restaurants remodel, move or close because sales are slow. In the first few weeks of 2015 seven Whatcom County restaurants closed, but by the end of the year nearly all of those spaces were filled by other eateries or retail businesses.

Here’s an update on recent restaurant activity:

▪  Brian Poag always tries to thank people he considers to be heroes, and now he's hoping to reach out to a few more through his restaurant.

Poag and his wife, Tanya, operate Jake's Western Grill off Guide Meridian in Lynden. On Veterans Day, they launched a program called Honoring Heroes, giving a 20 percent discount on meals for first responders, U.S. border agents, active duty U.S. military and veterans. The discount is available every day the restaurant is open. First responders include police, fire and emergency medical technicians, and all of them just need to show identification to get the discount.

Jake's Western Grill opened in 2008. Details about the restaurant can be found at jakeswesterngrill.com.

▪  Woods Coffee is moving forward with its plans to expand into Canada, with the plan to be open in Tsawwassen in the first couple months of 2016.

▪  Avenue Bread and Overflow Taps are also busy trying to get open in the next few weeks at the Waples Mercantile Building at 444 Front St. in Lynden.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 1:44 AM with the headline "Restaurant Update: Changes expected after the holidays."