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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Business focus: Job search leads owner to new diner


Donna Passmore (in pink) recently opened  Donna's Diner, and says her employees are like family to her. They are, from left: Merrie McElroy; Peggy Fisher; Passmore, her husband, Rob; Mary Kae Starkey and Robin Kien. 
 (J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)
Juli Wasson Correspondent

Spokane Valley resident Donna Passmore was looking for a waitress job. She instead found a different opportunity, and soon was opening Donna’s Diner near the corner of Progress Road and Sprague Avenue.

“I was just driving home one day and saw a ‘help wanted’ sign so I flipped a U-ee right there on Sprague,” Passmore explains of the day she stopped in at the former Road Grill. “I was just looking for a little cushy waitress job.”

It was while inquiring about the possible part-time waitress position that she learned the business was for sale. Her restaurant opened Sept. 25.

But Passmore is no stranger to the restaurant business. From 1993 to 2003, she owned Cafe Donna on East Trent Avenue. For a decade prior to that, she worked at the same locale under its various owners and names.

In between restaurant ownerships, Passmore helped husband Rob with his Valley business, Professional Paint Supply. She said the two of them had kept their eyes open for restaurant opportunities ever since selling Cafe Donna.

“I just wanted a little breakfast-lunch place,” said Passmore, 53.

Breakfast can’t get much earlier, as Donna’s Diner opens at 5 a.m.

Passmore praises her kitchen crew that includes longtime co-worker and employee Mary Kaye Starkey. Passmore also takes pride knowing that nothing on her menu comes from a box or a can. Instead, her crew creates from scratch the selections, a menu of which Passmore likes to call “comfort foods” such as hash browns, sausage gravy, chili and cinnamon rolls.

The nearly century-old brick building of Donna’s Diner has a history before Road Grill. Many might remember it as Mel’s Bakery and Coffee Shop. Others might recall it originally as a feed store.

As Donna’s Diner, it seats 58 customers. It’s an ideal size, said Passmore, who adds she’s pleased with the Valley location because it has a steady flow of customers, it’s closer to her home, open fewer hours than her previous eatery, and once again allows her to be surrounded by employees she considers family.

“First and foremost, I’m a waitress. I belong out front,” Passmore said. “I started waiting tables in Troy, Montana, when I was 12.

“You have to love this business.”