Family is the heart and soul of Dairy Palace

DAIRY PALACE IS A FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED RESTAURANT THAT HAS SERVED GENERATIONS OF CUSTOMERS FOR 37 YEARS IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON.

The Evans Family

Thomas Herald (also known as T.H.) Evans purchased Dairy Palace in 1986 and worked there until he passed at the age of 90. The walk-up restaurant was placed into the charge of his son, Tim, who runs it with his sons Timothy and Nathan.

Tim said Dairy Palace has been a great place to work at, because “we get to know a lot of people in the community and when you go places, people know who you are.” He said the camaraderie between family members, employees and customers is what makes the walk-up restaurant special.

Tim said working with his sons has been a great experience because they are close. He shared how as children, Nathan and Timothy were asked to remove stems from a large order of cherries. They removed stems for hours until their father told them they could quit, but by that time cherry juice stained their hands red. Their hands were red for weeks, Tim said, chuckling.

Nathan said he “loves” working at Dairy Palace and being around his father and brother. “There’s going to be one day where I’ll probably be here and he won’t be here and that’s hard to imagine because this place is like family to me.”

Timothy works at the Dairy Palace, but wants to transition into full-time ministry work. He is active at Peace Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Washington. The memories Timothy will take with him of working at Dairy Palace are mostly of his grandfather and his vigorous work ethic. He recalled watching his “85-year-old grandfather out work” him, a man at least 65 years his senior.

“Kind, gentle, hardworking and a gentle spirit,” were words Timothy used to describe his grandfather. He was a man who “lived purposefully, wanting to work hard to provide for his family and loved his grandchildren.”

Extended Family

Dairy Palace is open seven days a week beginning at 5 a.m. It closes at 4p.m. Monday through Thursday, but 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Evans arrives at 2 a.m. to prepare for each day.

In the mornings, regular customers arrive half expecting their usual breakfast sandwich order to be ready for pickup. Non regulars have to take a minute to decide if they want eggs, cheese and/or meat on their sandwich. At lunch, customers order freshly prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue, chicken or steak sandwiches with fries or chips and a milkshake with Simply Natural ice cream.

Some regulars forget what their routine orders are, because they rely on Angela Jones (also known as Miss Angie) to remember. She has regular customers’ sandwich and coffee orders memorized. Should anyone else be at the register taking orders and they don’t have a regular’s order memorized, they have to ask her.

Jones has worked at Dairy Palace for 18 years as a cashier. Over that period of time, the Evans and the customers have become like family members to her. She even calls Tim’s mother, “Mama” and says Nathan and Timothy are like sons to her.

“We’re just family,” Jones said. “I’m real close to them, and that’s how they make me feel like I am family.”

Socializing with customers is what Jones enjoys most about working at Dairy Palace. “I like joking with people,” she said. “I love having fun with people.”

Jones said customers will even ask her for advice because she is very relatable and can empathize with them. “They can really talk to me, and I understand where they are coming from. I have been through so much when they are telling me stuff I can relate to what they are talking about.”

The Evans, Jones and regular customers are one large family that is not connected by blood, but by a restaurant that has been a Washington staple for decades.

What To Order

If you’ve never visited Dairy Palace, the Evans and Jones have provided their typical orders to help you decide what to get.

Tim: Anything on the menu. “I eat it all. There’s not one item that I like more than anything.”

Timothy: Ham, egg and cheese sandwich with extra, extra Duke’s Mayonnaise.

Nathan: A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with mayo for breakfast, but at lunchtime he’ll eat a double cheeseburger all the way with slaw.

Angie: A cheeseburger or a chicken sandwich.

Tim and Nathan said Dairy Palace sells a lot of Cokes, because the restaurant reduces the carbonation but increases the amount of syrup in the dispenser. This creates a smoother and sweeter drink. Nathan and Jones said coffee is another popular drink item.