in the spotlight
with the customers in accented English, which somehow
seems to add to the ambience of a restaurant that draws
much of its décor from World War II.
“The food is good here; that’s why the truckers and
the policemen eat here,” she says with a shrug.
Diana Naron, who has worked there since 1989, agrees.
“The B- 52 Burger, which is buffalo, is one of the most
popular items. We are also the only restaurant in Seattle
where you can still get liver and onions,” she notes.
“People also like to add to the décor,” Diana continues.
“They bring in models or pictures, and you know they
Do you see one you recognize? The patch collection is on a
corkboard near the kitchen. “The girls usually con the guys out
of a patch, then someone else sees a rival squadron patch and
gives us one of theirs,” says Richard.
Outside of a museum, you probably wouldn’t see a piece of
Plexiglas from a B- 17. The pieces came from the wreckage of a
crash in Italy.
mean something to them, and they want to share them.
The old guys like to come in and tell their stories again and
again, and there are people here to listen. They love it.”
Among the prize possessions on display are two pieces of
Plexiglas from a B- 17.
“It was shot down over Italy. The crew bailed out. In
addition to the dome, there is a picture of it on display.
A gentleman by the name of Bruce Magnuson, a local
aviation historian, went over to Italy and found the site of
his father’s B- 17 crash. He brought the Plexiglas back from
the wreckage,” says Richard.
Randy’s is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. There
are peaks in customer traffic, such as breakfast and lunch
rushes, but there’s also a noticeable uptick in business
when the Museum of Flight has an event.
There are traditions revolving around the restaurant.
The Navy’s Blue Angels have a tradition of delivering one
of their publicity photos each August when the team is
in town for Seafair, a Seattle festival that features hydro-boat races and a performance of the precision flight team.
These pictures are mounted on the wall above the kitchen
pass-through.
“They used to come in here with their children, but they
had to stop doing that after September 11,” Lucia explains.
The Blue Angels aren’t the only customers to make a trip
to Randy’s a family event, says Richard.
“We have people who came in as children bringing their
children in now,” he says.
Another tradition is using Randy’s paper napkins to
design aircraft. Boeing’s Plant No. 2 is across the street, and
the engineers often come in for lunch.
“They come in here and talk things over and start
drawing,” says Diana. “I am sure that many designs have
begun on Randy’s napkins! Before I throw the napkins
away sometimes I will take a look and say ‘Wow, this looks
like some great design!’”
Future Plans
Richard shows no sign of slowing down. He has dreams for
the restaurant, which include possible expansion.
“There’s an old C- 47 hulk on the field that I’d like to
make into a lunchroom,” he says with a smile.
Meg Godlewski is a CFI and is a regular contributor to GA
News and Flyer.
