The roadside diner is often emblematic of classic American culture, evoking nostalgia for tasty meals served unpretentiously to weary travelers. In Whatcom County, mere feet from where State Route 9 cuts through the unincorporated community of Acme, you’ll find local diner eats as fresh as a slice of homemade pie.
The Acme Diner – operated by Kim Cochran and owned by Jim and Julie Sutterfield – has become a local and regional favorite among both locals and visitors. Open every day but Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the diner serves up burgers, breakfasts, pies and other dishes that rely heavily on local sourcing and scratch-made preparation.
Inside the diner is a fun and vibrant environment, complete with counter and booth seating, various Acme and American-themed artifacts, and a large, chilled pie case. There’s also an old gas pump and a jukebox; the latter isn’t functional, but Cochran says that repairing it is in the works.
Acme Diner History
Originally known as the Acme Café, the restaurant has been open since at least the 1980s.
Its former slogan was once “where real people come to eat real food,” according to an old Bellingham Herald article, and throughout its history, it has remained Acme’s only eatery. The cafe was renamed Acme Diner sometime in the 2010s and was owned for several years by former Acme Ice Cream and Rocket Donuts founder Jim Swift.
But by the fall of 2019, Cochran says the diner was facing closure under previous management. She signed a one-year lease to keep the business afloat and spent several months rejuvenating it. It reopened early in 2020, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thrust back into survival mode, Cochran kept Acme Diner going during COVID by baking pizzas and delivering them within a five-mile radius. The diner also briefly adopted a classic “car hop” theme to allow customers to eat safely in their vehicles.
While Cochran was able to renew her lease for another three years, she couldn’t afford to purchase the property from Swift when he decided to sell it. The Sutterfields – who own and operate Bellingham company Signs Plus – stepped in during the spring of 2023 and bought the site, with Cochran continuing to manage the business.
“I couldn’t have better partners,” she says of the Sutterfields. “(They) have turned our little dive diner into something special.”
Eats and Treats at Acme Diner
While Acme Diner used to close at 3 p.m. when Cochran took over, it now serves all three meals of the day.
It offers a variety of breakfast options, including eggs Benedict on weekends. Breakfast is available until 2 p.m. for those who prefer to sleep in.
Acme’s never-frozen burgers are also popular, including the locally-named Acme bacon cheeseburger and Twin Sisters cheeseburger. Acme also serves fish and chips, roast turkey dinners and even liver and onions. The chicken Caesar sandwich and Reuben are also popular lunch options.
Each Friday beginning at 4 p.m., the place fills with folks downing prime rib and homemade clam chowder. Proteins are sourced from Bellingham’s Claus Meats, and the diner’s soups and sauces are all homemade, as is its stuffing. Her aunt makes the eatery’s potato salad, as well as its coveted pies.
Cochran grew up on these pies, she says, and her aunt and cousin now make up to 30 pies a week, sold by the slice. Popular flavors include banana split, chocolate peanut butter mousse and raspberry.
“We never have pie left over,” Cochran says. Your best chances to snag a slice, she adds, are on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Live Music at Acme Diner
New for 2025 is an ample patio space and frequent live music.
The diner gave things a test run last summer with a few picnic tables and a local band playing several times, but this year they’ve expanded both outdoor seating and music offerings, which feature no cover and will take place most weekends this summer.
“It’s nice to have entertainment in the little town of Acme,” Cochran says. “People are loving it.”
The diner also features a full bar and offers six local beer taps from brewers such as Aslan, Kulshan, and the North Fork.
Angela Emery, a server who is one of several employees to follow Cochran to Acme Diner from another restaurant, says she loves working at Acme Diner. It’s a place, she adds, where it’s easy to be hospitable.
“I try to make everybody feel like they’re coming to my house,” Emery says. “I feel like I’m home when I’m here.”
Between the friendliness and the food, what more could you want?
Acme Diner
2045 Valley Hwy, Acme360.595.0150
