Fairway Café kicks off grand opening with breakfast buffet

The Fairway Café is reopening on Saturday with the return of a community favorite meal and under the new management of Vickie Monroe. Vickie is assisted by her husband Scott and is anxious to be serving up quality food to community members and visiting golfers alike.

Located at the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course, the Fairway Café provides a variety of family favorite meals to appeal to all visitors.

Vickie, who has a lifetime of experience in the food service industry, is looking forward to having her first opportunity as a business owner and being able to manage her own restaurant in Ritzville.

“The opportunity came to me and I couldn’t pass it up,” Vickie said about running the Fairway Café. “The golfers, and the community, have been so supportive.”

As longtime Ritzville residents, Vickie said running the business is finally her opportunity to give back to the community. The Monroe’s understand the importance of community and are focused on listening to their patron’s input for the business.

“The most important thing is listening to the community,” Scott said. “The community supports the business, and the business needs to support the community.”

The restaurant had a soft opening for the past two weeks and Vickie explained it was during this time they received the most feedback from customers, and had the chance to cater the business to the desires of the patrons. Scott added that listening to the wants of the customers will ensure the business continues to expand and be viable for community members in the long term.

A large portion of the patrons voiced their hope to see weekly breakfast buffets return to the golf course restaurant. Vickie explained the opening day will highlight the traditional breakfast spread, and will simultaneously kick off the Saturday breakfast buffet.

Along with returning weekly breakfast buffets to the schedule, Vickie hopes to continue to expand the diversity on the menu with specials. Her initial ideas include a Mexican and Chinese food night to provide types of cuisine community members do not have constant access too within Ritzville.

The menu items have been selected based on Vickie’s knowledge of the food industry and realizing the most popular food items for customers.

The most important addition to the menu caters to the younger generation, as the Monroe’s have included a children’s menu with each menu item being a flat rate cost of $5.

Scott explained that being in close proximity to the park and the pool was one of the main reasons for creating a children’s menu, as many local youth spend summer days in the public parks and parents tend to need a food option for their children.

The flat rate cost and proportional meals create an affordable option for families while also reducing the amount of leftovers, Vickie said.

With the addition of incorporating customers’ opinions into the business, the soft opening also providing Vickie with an opportunity to improve her efficiency in the kitchen while she adapted to the flow of the business. Scott said it provided them both with a chance to get their feet under them before opening day to ensure that when the grand opening day arrives, they are ready and able to serve their customers in a well-organized manor.

Currently, Scott assists Vickie with opening in the mornings and stops in after shifts from his job at CenturyLink. Vickie is managing the restaurant alone, but said she has had many friends and family members who have stepped up to work volunteer shifts at the restaurant. Once the restaurant is open fulltime, Vickie intends to hire a permanent employee.

Vickie explained her very first job was in food service, and she has dedicated her lifetime to continuing to work in the career field. She has worked in all aspects of the field from waiting tables, to cooking, and now into the head cook and manager of her own restaurant, which finally brings her career full circle.

The Fairway Café is open seven days a week, and Vickie encourages individuals with half an hour lunch breaks or people in a hurry to call ahead. The hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The Fairway Café is located at 104 East Tenth Avenue in Ritzville and can be reached at 659-9868.

The restaurant also has a Facebook page where daily specials will be posted, and can be found by searching Fairway Café.