by Elise Van Dam
Scents of fresh baked bread, coffee and smiling employees greet customers as they enter Alpine Bistro and Bakery Company.
Ten years ago owners Carl and Nicole Burgi opened Nifty Fifties Donut and Espresso on Highway 2 where they sold donuts, coffee and small lunches. Soon they outgrew their one-room drive-through and opened up a much larger food service called Alpine Bistro and Bakery on 810 N. Monroe St. They employ an average of 20 employees.
“I absolutely love working at Alpine,” employee Allie Sand said. “It’s great working for a family business.”
The restaurant and bakery also provides bread to over 100 restaurants and coffee shops around Spokane including the Davenport, Twigs, Didier’s, Rusty Roof’s, Fat Daddy’s and Java Hut. Some of the types of bread they sell are french, sourdough, rye, wheat, artisan style, rolls and hamburger buns. While Alpine is still too small to sell their bread in grocery stores, they would like to expand, Nicole Burgi said.
“Not a lot of people make homemade bread anymore,” Burgi said. “In a sense it’s a lost art, which is really sad.”
While Alpine is a bread provider for restaurants and businesses all over Spokane, it also serves breakfast and lunch every day of the week, and dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“I really loved it,” junior Diana Cater said. “It reminded me of a place your grandparents would take you to.”
The menu has a variety of options from pastries to complete meals.
“I love the cinnamon rolls,” Sand said. “I take one home almost every day.”
For breakfast a customer can order items such as breakfast burritos, french toast or biscuits and gravy. Both hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soup, hamburgers and other options such as lasagna are offered for lunch. Dinner options depend on the specials.
Along with the different food items, Alpine also has an atmosphere that feels like being home. Customers can sit down on the couches, enjoy the scenes of everyday life through the large storefront windows, and have a pastry and coffee. Or they can sit at a table and have more of a restaurant experience while the enjoy their meal.
“I love how Alpine wasn’t trying to be hip or new,” Cater said. “It was just trying to serve good food and be comfortable.”
Contact Elise Van Dam at evandam13@my.whitworth.edu.