On a Monday afternoon this week, regulars Darold Menning and Wayne Belden watched the staff of Lisa's Country Kitchen wipe tables, clean cups and vacuum.
When prompted by Lisa Shimer, the owner who lends her name to this Vancouver eatery, about why they keep coming back, Menning said, "It's the best food in town. And I've been here longer than you."
And it's true. The latest owner of this Mill Plain mainstay, Portland-native Shimer, is a relative newcomer. When she took the reigns here in 2007, the building on 6321 E. Mill Plain Blvd. had already housed a succession of eateries stretching back far beyond Shimer's 42 years.
Though Shimer may be new to the building, she's no greenhorn when it comes to restaurant work. Her first job was peeling potatoes and waiting tables at Vancouver fixture Fatty Patty's, owned by Shimer's mother, Patty Kasper.
"Mom moved us to Vancouver in '78, since the housing was much cheaper," said Shimer.
While her Southern-style comfort food may be out of step with the rising tide of healthy, "green" eateries, Shimer offers no apologies for the menu. The restaurant offers huge portions of burgers, hash browns and soup, available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week, with full meals a recession-proof $5.95 to $9.95.
"Some of the customers, though, let's just say I offer them the cottage cheese instead of fried food," Shimer said.
This playful back-and-forth between customers and staff is a big part of the day when, according to Shimer, regulars make up 90 percent of the clientele. That repartee has served her well, not only in her business – with customers continuing to pack the house daily based primarily on word-of-mouth – but also in her personal life.
"I was introduced to my husband of twenty years by his parents, whom I waited on all the time at Fatty Patty's," she said.
Before buying the restaurant Shimer took 11 years off to spend time with her three sons, Jake, Bodi and Luke. But a serious illness afflicting her husband, Jim, changed her plans, and she started working again to give him time to recover.
"During that time, I lived on about $20 a week. We gave up a lot so I could stay home," she said. "Those lessons helped whenever the economy took a turn."
Although Lisa's business did take a hit with the recession, by scaling back hours and making sure money wasn't spent superfluously, she said the business was able to maintain its nine-member staff and stay open. According to Shimer, the business still had enough money to spare, donating a chunk of the profits last year to the local Christian charity Babies in Need, which provides necessities to newborns and their mothers.
Beyond her charitable work, Shimer hopes to expand the restaurant, eventually opening up the store at nights and perhaps moving into catering. Although the road ahead will be tough, Shimer said she has a real passion for this often back-breaking work and wouldn't have it any other way.
"You have to like what you do if you're ever going to be good at it," she said.
Lisa's Country Kitchen,
6321 E Mill Plain, Vancouver
Year founded: 2007
Number of employees: 7
Revenue 2009: N/A
