While running a restaurant has no shortage of challenges, Ocean Prime Family Restaurant owner and chef Eyner “Rene” Cardona has taken them in stride and is preparing to celebrate his restaurant’s one-year anniversary on Saturday, March 16.
Lewis County’s own Chris Guenther and his band will perform at the Chehalis eatery, and the restaurant will have a limited menu featuring prime rib, Cardona said.
Despite continuing ongoing renovations in the restaurant — the former location of Kit Carson Family Restaurant, which includes multiple banquet rooms and has approximately 15,000 feet of floor space — all parts of the restaurant are now open, including the bar, which reopened last August. The newly reopened bar includes a billiards table and a foosball table.
“This first year has been tough, but we’ve been doing the right things and we’re still here,” Cardona said.
The local community has been vital to Ocean Prime’s success over the last year, he added.
“I want to say thank you to all the people who have come to support us,” Cardona said.
Ocean Prime General Manager Kassandra Neumann said the restaurant has a large number of regulars who support them.
“They come in weekly, and they also say stuff to their friends,” Neumann said. “We get a lot of people who come in because someone else in the community told them to come in.”
Focusing on a fine dining-style menu, Ocean Prime offers a variety of lunch and dinner items, including ribeyes, tomahawk steaks, king salmon, ribs, sandwiches and salads, along with having a breakfast menu.
And while menu prices range from around $20 on the cheaper end up to $79 if you feel like treating yourself to a surf and turf platter, Neumann added most customers say menu pricing actually makes sense when they see the portion sizes. Cardona added his menu is still made from scratch.
As for this weekend’s celebration, with Guenther performing, Neumann said they already have a lot of reservations made for March 16. Neumann recommended diners make reservations ahead of time to ensure they get a table.
“It’s also St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so we’re going to be having … corned beef with cabbage and carrots special, with a little chef Eyner flair,” said Neumann.
Located at 107 SW Interstate Ave. in Chehalis, Ocean Prime is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. To make reservations for Ocean Prime Family Restaurant’s first year anniversary celebration this Saturday, or Sunday for St. Patrick’s Day, call Ocean Prime at 360-996-4177.
For more information, visit Ocean Prime’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/2b94a5d7 or visit https://oceanprimefamilyrestaurant.com/.
