Retail Tipsheet: Lynden eatery honoring heroes every day

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.

Brian Poag said he began thinking about the idea more than a year ago, when his dad, Mike, mentioned that he ought do something for Veterans Day. Brian’s dad, a Marine veteran, unexpectedly died last March, and Brian decided this was the year to honor him and others.

“It (Veterans Day) was something he always looked forward to,” Brian Poag said.

Poag wanted to expand on the idea, which is why the discount is being offered every day to others like first responders. Given all the negativity in many recent news stories regarding soldiers and first responders, Poag said he wanted to do something positive.

“This is one small way we can show heroes we are thankful for what they do, not just on national days of remembrance,” Poag said. “So often we get wrapped up with only honoring people during the holidays, we wanted to do this every day.”

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

OTHER TIDBITS

Chuckanut Bay Distillery has just released its Krampus holiday liqueur, the company’s traditional drink for this time of year. It is made from locally sourced ingredients, including wheat, honey and hazelnuts. Details can be found at chuckanutbaydistillery.com. ... ... According to the website ourLynden.com, a few changes are taking place at the Fairway Center. Marta’s Cocina’s Mexican Restaurant is expanding, adding about 50 seats. The expansion should be complete around mid-December, according to the website. Also, Lynden Dutch Bakery is making plans to open a second Lynden store in the Fairway Center. Doughnuts will be a big part of the second store, which is expected to open at the end of December. ... With Black Friday and the small-business events out of the way, the next big local retail events include the annual downtown Bellingham tree lighting/art walk event on Friday, Dec. 4, and Super Saturday, which falls on Dec. 19. National studies suggest the final Saturday before Christmas has surpassed Black Friday as the busiest shopping day of the year.

The Lynden Dutch Bakery is moving into the Fairway Center. The name of the center was corrected on Monday, Nov. 30.

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 1:10 AM with the headline "Retail Tipsheet: Lynden eatery honoring heroes every day."