These Bellingham restaurants expanding their hours in Phase 3 of COVID recovery
Here’s a roundup of recent retail activity around Whatcom County:
▪ As Whatcom County businesses figure out the best way to operate in Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan, more are reopening and extending hours.
After spending the winter making cider, Bellingham Cider Company reopened its restaurant for dinner and weekend brunches. Hours are 3-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 3-11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Boundary Bay Brewing reopened its bistro dining area. The dining area and taproom will offer 50% capacity seating.
Skylark’s Cafe in Fairhaven has expanded its hours and is now open seven days a week. It opens at 9 a.m., closing at 9 p.m. (open an hour later on Friday and Saturday).
Chuckanut Brewery has also expanded to seven days a week, open from noon to 9 p.m.
▪ Here’s a follow-up to last week’s tidbit about the cannabis-themed sandwich shop Cheba Hut opening in downtown Bellingham:
The Bellingham franchise owner Doug Engerman said the building being renovated, so he’s expecting Cheba Hut to open sometime in late summer.
The shop is going into the former Rocket Donuts space at 306 W. Holly St. Engerman has worked on bringing this sandwich shop to Bellingham for a few years, but plans were delayed when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. He’s hoping that by the time he opens, restrictions will have eased for the restaurant to offer a casual gathering place that offers live music.
Engerman, who lives in Blaine, decided to bring the first Cheba Hut in Washington state to Bellingham and plans to expand into the Seattle and Eastern Washington markets. Bellingham was his first choice because of the large college student population and the city being known for its unique, offbeat businesses. With that in mind, Engerman said part of the plan is to have custom murals by local artists to make it a bright, fun place to eat and drink.
When asked about the marijuana theme of the business, Engerman said it’s very much tongue-in-cheek, almost a parody, about weed culture. While the toasted sandwiches have names that play off cannabis terms, the food is not actually infused with marijuana.
“We’re not promoting the use of marijuana, it’s really more a fun theme,” Engerman said.
Along with sandwiches, the shop serves salads and a variety of “munchies,” including brownies and garlic cheesy bread. It will also have a variety of craft beer and cocktails.
Engerman said he’s in this business because of the food, something he’s enjoyed while visiting other Cheba Hut shops. He wants to make sure the food is consistent at his shop because he enjoyed so much of the menu as a customer.
▪ A state liquor license application was submitted for a new restaurant in downtown Ferndale. The proposed name is Oyiso Teriyaki, to go into 2008 Main St. The applicant is Justin Kim.
▪ For those ready to get out of the house, The Inn at Lynden has created a Fun For All special. The promotion, which runs through Sept.. 30, offers 20% off seasonal rates for any night stay. The 35-room inn at 100 5th St. is also offering to coordinate guests’ visits with some of the activities in the region that can be done safely and with social distancing in mind.
▪ Since COVID-19 vaccination cards might become an important document going forward, the owner of two Bellingham businesses is offering to laminate them for free through Wednesday, June 30.
People may bring their completed cards for lamination to either Pak Mail at 2950 Newmarket St., Suite 101, in Barkley Village or to Minuteman Press at 4025 Iron Gate Road.
“Lamination is great for preserving most paper cards and documents,” said Michael Tilley, owner of both Pak Mail and Minuteman Press in Bellingham.
This story was originally published April 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
