‘Everybody knows Dolly’s Cafe’: Spokane staple goes up for sale | news

“It’s community, it’s historic and people are pretty passionate about it,” Real Estate agent Robert Johnson said sitting in a booth at his newest listing on Thursday. “Everybody knows Dolly’s Cafe.”

The 1,100 square-foot Spokane staple which seats 47 diners has been meticulously cleaned after closing last month and now sits waiting for its new owner or owners to purchase what Johnson calls a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“You talk about cafes or eateries in Spokane – breakfast spots – Dolly’s is always one of the first that come up,” Johnson said. “It is turn-key. Everything is here. The menus, the dishes, everything is ready to go… What’s unusual about it is you literally can start cooking tomorrow.”

Dolly’s opened up at the corner of Washington and Indiana roughly 60 years ago, and current owner Desiree Olsness has been at the helm for the last 30, keeping the cafe not only afloat, but thriving through all of the ups and downs.

Johnson pointed out the cafe didn’t even close during the pandemic, instead opting to continue serving their famous food through take-out.

“The secret to her success is that she just cared and it was important that people loved the restaurant and then put out good food. And she put out great food,” Johnson said of Olsness’ successful decades of running the cafe.

Now, however, it’s time for a new adventure. With Olsness’ retirement comes opportunity for someone else to carry on the legacy of Dolly’s Cafe and Johnson’s had no shortage of interested buyers.

“I knew we’d have interest, but the level of interest has been surprising,” Johnson said before admitting not all contacts have been from “serious” buyers. “The number of people who have contacted me just out of the nostalgia and the history that it is for them.”

The cafe is named after the original owner, Dolly Mueller, and the name has been synonymous with the corner of Washington and Indiana ever since and it’s a name Johnson hopes the new owners will hang onto.

“We can’t do that to somebody (make them keep the name), but it would be a big mistake if somebody ever changed the name. Besides the menu is already to go,” Johnson smiled. “The name just kind of goes with the building. It’s just iconic.”

After 60+ years of serving Spokane, the inside of the cozy cafe now sits spotless after Johnson said Olsness gave it a thorough cleaning. It has served thousands of customers of the last 30 years, but now looks as clean and as spotless as it most likely did the day it opened. It’s a testament to the pride Olsness feels about the place she poured her heart and soul into for the past 30 years as it now sits staged for showings, with the silverware set and the coffee mugs standing by, to once again give Spokane the food and hospitality it has come to know and to carry on the legacy of Dolly’s Cafe.

If you’re interested about learning more on the listing of Dolly’s Cafe, click here.