Nestled in between the Regal Cinemas Movie Theater and the bustling Barkley Village Woods Coffee is a hidden gem of a restaurant, where you can get drinks, have dinner before catching a movie or enjoy a casual lunch outside.
Grace Scofield, the manager of Luna’s Bistro, talks about the staff and the eatery with nothing but positivity and excitement. “We have great staff and the food is easy to recommend and serve since we like it so much,” she told me with a smile. “We have something for everyone – budget-friendly options, good cocktails, a nice wine list, eight beers on tap (mostly local), a kid’s menu and a variety of dishes from brunch to dinner.”
Grace began working for Luna’s Bistro about three years ago, starting as a hostess. After a few months of bonding with the staff, helping with bussing and serving, and learning the lay of the tables and the menu, she moved to being a server. After a year and a half she started bartending for a few months before being promoted to manager.
When asked what job she liked the most – hosting, bartending or serving – she answered quickly that her current position, managing and serving together, is her favorite. “I like serving and managing, because you have more say in how things are in the restaurant and you impact more people in our community. The whole goal of serving for me is to make people happy when they come in and happy when they leave, with good food and friendly service. As manager I can impact how the service is and how the food comes out.”
“Most of the staff have worked together for six months to a year, some longer,” she told me, reminiscing over some of the memories she has with her co-workers. “We at least do a summer picnic every year and a Christmas party every year. For 2017, we rented out a ballroom at the Bellingham hotel and had a party with all the staff of Luna’s and Jalapeños, our parent organization. They gave us all free food, drinks and handed out prizes.”
Like anything in life, time moves forward and we watch our families, our businesses, or ourselves grow; Luna’s is no exception. “We’ve been getting busier and busier,” Grace said, obviously excited about the bright future of the Bistro. “Three years ago when I started, Luna’s Bistro had a bad reputation, mainly for for having mostly pasta on the menu and for slow service. Now we have customers coming back for the first time in a few years telling us how much it has changed and how much they like it now. We have a bigger variety of food and a new chef, Teddy, that is great. We have something for everyone.”
One big change was the menu and the quality of the food. “We started brunch in June of 2017 and it has slowly gained popularity,” she said. “Now we open an hour earlier than before every day and have daily specials. Tuesday is pizza night – 50 percent off all large pizzas. We make our own dough and sauce. It’s delicious. Wednesday is burger night and we grind our own beef from steaks, rather than buying frozen beef. Our bread is all from a bakery in Seattle. Thursday is prime rib night. Friday is chef special and Teddy our chef will make a creation that is not on the menu. He is Puerto Rican and made Puerto Rican lasagna recently that was delicious. Saturday is 10 percent off pastas and Sunday is all-day happy hour.”
When I asked what her favorite foods were on the menu, she had to take a minute to think through her options. “Eggs Benedict for brunch or the steak and eggs,” she decided. “And definitely the French Dip Sandwich.”
At the end of our meeting, Grace had one main thing to say about Luna’s, “I like going to work, it’s a happy environment to be in. The goal is to make the whole experience fun for everyone, including the staff. I love my job.”
