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Ryan Spragg of Longview is the head chef for The Hidden Griddle on Commerce in Longview. Dave Rubert / For The Daily News

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Talking Business: Hearty food you can order online

Monday, October 6, 2008 8:59 AM PDT

By Erik Olson

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A tasty Monte Cristo sandwich, a frothy latte and homemade clam chowder are all available at the click of a mouse at Longview’s newest downtown eatery.

The Hidden Griddle, at 1338 Commerce Ave. suite G, at the former location of Frank’s European Cellar, specializes in hearty, “meat and potatoes” fare, which customers can order at HiddenGriddle.com, owner Frank Farrens said.

“You pay for it online, and you can just come in and pick it up,” Farrens said. “It’s convenient for downtown.”

Farrens and his wife, Cathy, moved to Longview from Vancouver recently after he retired from the electronics industry. But the former restaurant owners grew restless and decided they needed something to do in their golden years.

“We don’t want to retire,” Farrens said.

So they invested in the space on Commerce Avenue, which became open after Frank Gerloff closed his European-style restaurant after five years. Farrens added an espresso cart, which stands out on the sidewalk during the warm days, and he remodeled the inside.

But the biggest development is the online ordering. It’s not cheap — Farrens estimated he invested between $10,000 and $20,000 in the system — but he thinks it will bring in more customers from downtown and the rest of the city who need to get in a quick lunch or coffee break.

“I’m sure that we’ll attract a lot of people that would not have come downtown,” Farrens said.

The biggest selling point for the Hidden Griddle will be the food, he said. Once people try the Hidden Griddle, they’ll tell their friends and families to try it as well, Farrens said.

“I think it will succeed because the food is excellent by all standards,” Farrens said.

The Hidden Griddle is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week. For more information, call 353-3370.

Longview salon relocates

Downtown Longview also is the place to go to get a trendy hairstyle.

Trendy’s Hair Design opened at its new location at 1171 Commerce Ave., Suite 110 at the end of September, manager Nikki Rohl said. The salon had formerly been at 5612 Ocean Beach Highway.

The business is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 425-8868.

New Izzy’s operators

The owners of the two Izzy’s Pizza Bar and Classic Buffet franchises in Vancouver are taking over the one in Kelso.

Kelso residents Dana Shumway and Bob Brunelle, a husband-and-wife team, recently purchased the Izzy’s pizza place at 1001 Grade St. The couple have been Izzy’s franchise owners since 2004, Shumway said.

They’re already looking to make upgrades. The restaurant received its liquor license in September to serve bottled beer and wine, she said.

The Izzy’s restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and it will close at 10 p.m. on the weekends. For more information, call 578-1626.

Talking Business is a weekly column about business openings, closings or major changes. Contact reporter Erik Olson with any business news tips at eolson@tdn.com or at 577-2510.

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lucky1 wrote on Oct 6, 2008 7:23 AM:

" Ordering online sounds like a great idea. We order breakfast or lunch quite often in our office. We will definately give it a try. "

The Stig wrote on Oct 6, 2008 8:07 AM:

" I love the idea of being able to order online. A little feedback for Mr. Farrens: provide more description for your food items. For instance, I have no idea what Country Benedict is (but I bet it includes sausage and hollandaise sauce so it's probably awesome). What sides come with the other menu items? I think if you flush out the system you will have success. "

citizen_jane wrote on Oct 6, 2008 10:06 AM:

" Uh, a big turn off for me is the numberous spelling errors on his website and lack of description. What's a shrimp bopoy? Is it supposed to be po boy, as in 'poor boy'? Platter, not plater. Omelette, not omeltte. And it needs to look less cookie cutter - he needs to farm out this website stuff to somebody with some flair and better grammar skills. "

stargoddess wrote on Oct 6, 2008 11:09 AM:

" I agree with the comments. The website doesn't look finished and spelling errors are quite frequent. I can't believe he paid that much money for something that looks like some kid in middle school developed.
The concept is fantastic and I believe that it would become a success, IF he does something to his website. "

stargoddess wrote on Oct 6, 2008 11:18 AM:

" This is I copied/pasted directly from the 'about us' page on his website...how many grammar errors can YOU find..
Welcome to the griddle. We are a family owned and ran restaurant and espresso stand. We are here to serve are valued customers and are community. We believe that food is a passion and are passion runs deep. So come see us and let us show you how great life can taste

I do not mean to nit pick, and I apologize if that's what it seems like.
These aren't spelling errors, it's just plain grammar errors. You have to make a great first impression on your customers, and I don't think this is the way to achieve that...IMHO "

Kelso Resident wrote on Oct 6, 2008 11:34 AM:

" I have to admit I'm not really liking the idea that Izzy's is offering people the ability to buy bottles of alcohol there, the fact is people already race down grade street. Imagine what a bunch of drunks will do? I live in a apartment complex next to Grade Street and I'll be honest after hearing some cars go racing down that road I'm amazed they haven't flew off the road and landed in our parking lot. "

Stella wrote on Oct 6, 2008 12:48 PM:

" Congrats Dana & Bob! When I first read this, I thought, she's crazy, Izzy's #3, but if the Kelso Izzy's is cleaned up, we might eat there again. I still think you're crazy, but a good crazy. Stella is one of your friends., RE: Kelso resident, the local drunks will not buy their beer & wine at Izzy's, they would have to drink it there and it's more expensive then the stuff on sale at the local mini mart. This will not increase your drunk drivers. "

Kelso Resident wrote on Oct 6, 2008 2:24 PM:

" To Stella: Do you have any proof that because it's more costly they'll not drink it? I live next to grade street, I've seen alot. As I said I don't like this idea. "

Louie wrote on Oct 6, 2008 3:04 PM:

" I actually sent an email to Frank on his hiddengriddle@yahoo.com web site telling him of the grammatical errors and how important it is for a business to get these things right from the git go. Maybe you all could also email him. He has invested a lot of money in this venture and I would like to see it succeed. I'm not so sure that an online only system will work for anyone other than those who still work. Retired people like to go to a restaurant and sit down and enjoy being served. "

TK wrote on Oct 6, 2008 4:52 PM:

" I was curious what a "blt-a" was and wanted to comment on the poor impression their text left, but my e-mail came back undeliverable. So... Frank and Cathy, if you're reading this, do your business a favor and clean up your text. Capitalization counts! "

lucky1 wrote on Oct 6, 2008 6:41 PM:

" Izzy's: My daughter loves going there but the quality and service has been so bad for so long that we never do. With new owners and hopefully a new attitude we will give it a try again. I hope you can turn it around. "

Atrucker wrote on Oct 6, 2008 7:25 PM:

" You web site is very bare bones , your theme song ought to be 'sock it to me baby ' Boy they seen you commin.
At the very least clean up the grammer and spelling as mentioned above . It does not look good on a new company .
I am not sure but your item pricing may also take you out of being not in line with the other markets .
Whats wrong with Dinner too. ? "

Stella wrote on Oct 7, 2008 12:05 PM:

" To Kelso Resident: As a long time member of Alcoholics Anonymous and a former restaurant owner I think I have some experience with drunks. You just don't go to Izzy's to drink, you go there to eat. The drink may be purchased with your meal, but they are not going to have off-site sales for such an establishment. Izzy's selling beer & wine will not increase the drunks in your neighborhood. "

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