Sherry Hitch, left, and Chantel Morgan work on opposite sides of the kitchen while sporting masks and making food at Kelley's Kountry Kafe Tuesday afternoon.
Chantel Morgan, left and Sherry Hitch work on food orders while sporting masks at Kelley's Kountry Kafe Tuesday afternoon.
Reba Kelley closes the door as she talks about the signs she has collected over the years to display inside Kelley’s Kountry Kafe.
Reba Kelley poses for a photo in front of the Kelley’s Kountry Kafe sign Tuesday afternoon.
Editor’s Note: The Chronicle is working to assist local businesses suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 virus spread and associated government orders to close or limit commerce. There will be a feature on a local business in each edition of The Chronicle and at chronline.com moving forward. To be considered, email reporter Eric Trent at etrent@chronline.com. Additionally, The Chronicle will continue to offer its coverage of the coronavirus and its effects across the community, state and nation free outside of our paywall at chronline.com.
ETHEL — Kelley’s Kountry Kafe started on a whim.
Reba Kelley was unemployed 22 years ago, having taken the summer off from work following the passing of her father. She came to Ethel to check out a garage sale and saw that a restaurant on U.S. Highway 12, which had a different name at the time, was up for lease.
“I went home and my husband asked me, ‘What took you so long? Did you buy everything?,’” Kelley said. “And I said, ‘As a matter of fact, I did.’”
Kelley had never owned a restaurant before but had experience both cooking and waitressing for a couple establishments in the past. She figured she could learn and figure out the ownership aspect of running a restaurant as she went along.
She worked double shifts, seven days a week, for months until she was finally able to find some more employees. That was the biggest transition for her. Previously as an employee, all she had to do was show up, do her job and go home. Now she was spending up to 14 hours a day cooking behind the flat top, along with running the books, shopping for food and more.
The restaurant hasn’t changed a whole lot in those 22 years since she bought the place. Clientele has come and gone, and with that the menu has changed a bit with adding items that customers have wanted to see. Other than that, Kelley’s Kountry Kafe is basically the same as it was when it opened in the late 1990s.
“Twenty-two years later and we’re going strong,” Kelley said.
So strong in fact that the COVID-19 pandemic barely made an impact on her restaurant since it hit in March.
Kelley, of course, had to close her dining room in March when Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statewide shutdown of all in-dining customers at places of entertainment on March 23. But the cafe stayed open for takeout orders, which proved to be the saving grace.
Kelley’s Kountry Kafe, located about halfway between the Interstate 5 corridor and Mossyrock on U.S. Highway 12, was one of few restaurants in the area offering takeout orders.
Kelley laid off three employees at the beginning of the shutdown for fear of sale dropping, but soon brought them back when she saw the huge support from locals. She currently has a staff of seven working.
The economic impact of the 2001 recession, later magnified by the 9/11 attacks, actually had a greater impact on her business than COVID-19 has, Kelley said.
“I had about two years that I didn’t know if we were going to stay open or not,” Kelley said. “Things were pretty tough.”
The 2001 recession was an eight-month economic downturn that eventually led to a 6 percent national unemployment rate. Kelley was forced to lay a couple employees off at the time and she began working more hours to fill those empty spots.
“The coronavirus pandemic is a threat against our country and our health, but 9/11 was an attack against America,” Kelley said. “People viewed that differently. The economy really took a nosedive; the economy did with the pandemic as well, but it hasn’t stopped people from going out to eat. The 9/11 really got at people’s hearts. That was the core of America that was attacked.”
That’s why Kelley is so grateful for the support she and her business have received from Lewis County during the last five months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cafe has seen many people just stop by to voice their support for the restaurant. On a few occasions people have dropped by just to leave money in the cafe’s tip jar without ordering anything.
“Lewis County and surrounding areas have done well to support us,” Kelley said. “It’s been awesome. Very awesome.”
With the dining room having been open since June and summer starting to hit its stride, COVID-19 fading more and more in Kelley’s Kountry Kafe’s rearview mirror. Health and safety is still a priority, of course, but business-wise the cafe is performing well.
Route 12 is starting to see an influx of tourists on their way to recreation and camping opportunities, such as at Riffe Lake and state and county parks. She’s even seeing customers who detour off Interstate 5 just to come try her food.
“It gets really, really busy,” Kelley said.
More information
Owner: Reba Kelley
Location: 1411 U.S. Highway 12
Phone: 360-978-5410
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Sunday
Kelley’s Kountry Kafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is famous for its biscuits and gravy, and Kelley makes all the desserts, such as pies and cakes, herself. Almost every meal is made from scratch, including hash browns, soups, burgers and so forth. Consistency, top-notch service and food are what has made the cafe a local favorite, Kelley said, who has been the cook there for 22 years. Kelley’s Kountry Kafe is currently open 8 a.m to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.
