SEAVIEW — Dana Laresen was a little girl when she learned that a good meal could amend a bad day.
“I noticed that whenever I fed people, they would be really happy. Food was a magical sort of thing that could turn the worst day into a good day, and I wanted to provide that for people. The problem was, I didn’t quite know how to go about it,” Laresen said.
Since age 5, Laresen has harbored the same desire: to one day operate her own diner. On Jan. 1, the dream became a reality for Laresen, now 26, as she and her husband, Scharold, took the reigns as the new owners of Loose Kaboose Diner, a small, railroad car diner situated at the corner of 46th Place and Pacific Way in Seaview.
What was originally a railroad car with a walk-up window has been expanded over the years to include a cozy seating arrangement compete with a model train running on tracks that weave throughout the establishment. “This place has been handed down for the better part of 22 years,” Dana said. “Every owner has added on new things and it’s been interesting to watch it grow.” It was while working at the front desk at Hampton Inn and Suites over the summer when Dana met the former owner, Don Shaw, a serendipitous encounter that would culminate in a career change for both.
“He’s getting ready to retire and he meets me,” said Dana whose work ethic initially inspired Reed to ask if she had ever desired to own her own diner. It was a dream realized for Dana who seized the moment.
“We worked out a deal and here we are,” Dana said adding that they took a few months transitioning into their new career.
The first few months have been a learning experience for the young family who came with years of the experience in the kitchen but had limited formal training with budgeting and resource management. In learning resourcefulness, Dana has become more aware of waste, even being mindful of how much water she uses while washing dishes.
“It one of those things where you’re thinking, how I can do the dishes the most efficient way possible? In my other jobs, it wasn’t really a thought if I’m doing this do I have enough for that. A lot of it is a juggling act of profit versus waste,” she said. While learning the ins and outs of the diner, menu and budgeting, they’ve also been brainstorming new additions to the menu. Pizza is among the emerging offerings, but some final touches are still being settled.
“This is our first time doing pizza,” Dana said adding that it would be available to order in January. “Right now we’re just getting our crust perfected.” Menu additions including meatloaf and a new soup are anticipated later in the year. Fish and chips and hamburgers are their biggest sellers day to day.
“Our burgers are a fan favorite,” Dana said, “We have regulars that come back every night for it. But our fish and chips is also really good too.” Hamburgers range from $8 to $10. A two-piece cod fish and chips with chowder is $12. When it comes to specialties, Dana believes in the secret ingredient with each dish.
“Making food taste good,” she said regarding their specialty adding she’s motivated by asking herself, “How do I make this taste better than it already does?” Still, she takes pride in some offerings, particularly the country fried steak.
“It’s huge!” said Dana adding that they serve breakfast on the weekends. Lunch and dinner are offered daily.
“I’m not going to win Top Chef. But I can guarantee when you come in here you’re going to have some food that makes you feel good,” she said.
Since November, Dana and Scharold have been leaning on the experience of Karry Larsen.
“He’s the only one that’s fully trained in everything,” said Dana referring to her brother-in-law. “First, I learned waitressing, now I’m learning more things in the kitchen,” she said. It’s been a balancing act between preparing, serving and fixing for the trio.
“My husband has been helping in maintenance, there were a lot of things that needed to be updated,” Dana said. Fixing and repairing frozen water pipes has been a focal point for Scharold during what has been an unseasonably cold December.
One of the biggest struggles has been shopping while keeping the diner running smoothly.
“We spend a day going around to Costco trying to get the best bang for the buck,” she said. While searching for the best deals, the absence often leaves the diner shorthanded.
“It leaves my brother here for a day with no waitress,” Dana said. “Trying to juggle that along with everything else, we kind of did bite off a lot, but it’s chewing pretty good. We got a lot of the kinks worked out early on.”
With limited seating capacity, the diner has broadened their cooking capacity by offering delivery, a service that started in December. Creating awareness about the option has been the hardest part, according to Dana who seeing about one delivery per day on average.
“It’s only our first year of doing it, but just the amount of people we’ve reached already has been impressive,” Dana said.
“It’s one of those things that, as word of mouth gets around, it will build upon itself.” So far business has been living up to the hope and expectations she dreamed about since she was a young girl.
“I’m enjoying it a lot,” Dana said. “I love the freedom and I get to be creative. The sky is the limit.”
Call 360-642-2894 to order or for more information