Grand opening for Memories Diner Monday

Monday, April 22, marks the grand opening of the newest family dining option in Ritzville: Memories Diner. The diner is being opened by a mother and daughter duo who have long had the dream of going into business together and look forward to making the dream a reality next week.

The Main Avenue business that previously housed Casuela’s Grill is now under the ownership Lori Gorman-Anderson and her daughter Jessika Wolf. The duo has been feverishly working to renovate and redecorate the business and is now anxiously waiting for opening day.

The diner is having a soft opening on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 19, but will only be open to serve dinner from 5-8 p.m.

Customers to the restaurant can expect to find family-favorite comfort foods and traditional American diner cuisine on the menu. Early morning patrons can also expect to receive a piping hot cup of coffee for just 50 cents, a low rate the owners are proud to offer.

Jessika said the main goal for the menu was to provide customers with an affordable dining option with a variety of food choices. The highlight for the new owners is to be able to provide customers with foods that have been in their family for years.

Two specialty items on the menu are ham croquets and homemade potato salad, and both family recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. Lori’s mother is credited for beginning the ham croquet recipe, and both Lori and Jessika fondly remember enjoying the meal with their family members.

Lori and Jessika began the journey as restaurant owners many years ago and the duo agrees the dream started when Jessika was a child. Lori originally worked making wedding headpieces and after completing a piece, allowed Jessika to model the completed product for her.

The experience created a bond between the mother and daughter, which in turn created the dream of going into business together, but the dream was put on hold when each of them pursued individual careers. Even when Jessika moved from Spokane to Ritzville five years ago, the vision was never forgotten.

“We’ve always been really close,” Jessika said. “For the last five years, we’ve seriously been thinking about opening a business.”

Lori explained they never had decided what type of business they wanted to own, but when the restaurant property became vacant in Ritzville, they both immediately realized the potential. Lori will continue to live in Spokane, but said it worked best to open a business in Ritzville because of the benefits it has for Jessika and her family.

Jessika has worked as the manager for the Best Western Plus Bronco Inn for the past five years and is currently training an individual to fill her position in order for her to commit fulltime to the diner. Lori works part-time at Albertsons in Spokane.

Over the course of the past month, Jessika and Lori have been working tirelessly to restructure the atmosphere of the diner. The vision was to create an environment filled with memories, which eventually led to the business name, Memories Diner.

The main décor of the diner is historic photos of the Ritzville community and downtown. The photographs are displayed on the walls and on the tabletops, serving as a conversation starter and providing an opportunity for customers to reminisce.

Since the business is family-owned and operated, Lori and Jessika hope that helps strengthen the family-friendly atmosphere of the business.

“Our main goal is to be a nice place to come and enjoy a good meal,” Jessika said. “We want to be a nice place for locals to come and we really want it to be for families.”

The value of family and community is important to the new owners, and they hope customers realize that as soon as they come through the front door. Jessika said the purpose of the diner is to create a safe, relaxing place for families to visit and enjoy a good meal, while spending quality time together.

The diner is going to have a kid’s menu, with food items being carefully selected by Jessika’s eight-year-old daughter, Alexis. Along with the kid’s menu, children also receive a toy at the end of the meal.

To celebrate the grand opening, Memories Diner is hosting a weekly special of buy one entrée and the second meal 50 percent off. The offer runs from April 22-28, but weekly specials are something the owners plan to continue.

Weekly deals are going to be posted in the restaurant and Facebook users can also find specific deals on the Memories Diner’s page. The owners plan to incorporate the Facebook page into unique opportunities for customers, like posting a trivia game on the page and the first one to successfully answer the question and visit the restaurant receives a free meal.

The meeting room and bar in the restaurant will remain closed until the rooms are refurbished, but the owners have applied for a liquor permit and intend to open the space within the next few months.

After developing a strong customer base, Jessika and Lori hope to begin expanding services to locals. They hope to serve as a central meeting place for locals and eventually want to be able to deliver meals to residents in Ritzville.

Memories Diner is located at 214 West Main Avenue and can be reached by phone at 659-4656. Hours of operation for the business are posted at the diner and a more permanent dining schedule will be determined at a later date.