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While the federal government shutdown continues, some local restaurants in Lewis County started offering free meals to those at risk of losing at least partial U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits over this past weekend.
One of those restaurants was Mrs. Beesley’s Burgers in Toledo, located just off Exit 59 on Interstate 5. Starting Nov. 1, the business began giving out free grilled cheese meals not only to those finding their SNAP benefits at risk, but to anyone in need.
By Tuesday, Nov. 4, Mrs. Beesley’s had given away more than 200 of those grilled cheese meals, according to co-owner Julie Zion, who has been running the restaurant for the past eight years together with her husband, Ron Zion, after they purchased it from the previous owners, Dan and Dixie Beesley.
This all comes as the Zions, who reside in nearby Winlock, are seeking to sell Mrs. Beesley’s while they continue to operate it, all as the business approaches its 50th anniversary.
The Chronicle visited Mrs. Beesley’s on Tuesday to get breakfast and talk to Julie more about why they’re selling the business. While she loves the hectic world of a diner line cook, a recent astigmatism diagnosis has forced to retire from kitchen work.
“My eyes are a big problem, and now it’s both of them. And with the heat in the kitchen, it’s like having vertigo every day,” Julie said.
Despite trouble seeing, Julie continues to run Mrs. Beesley’s seven days a week, but not just for her own love of cooking.
“I have employees and they have families,” she added.
With the business still open while for sale, Julie is hoping to find interested buyers much like herself and Ron, who eight years ago agreed to continue running Mrs. Beesley’s Burgers with the same ingredients and sauce recipes Dan and Dixie Beesley had been serving up for decades already.
“We serve only angus prime beef, which is not cheap, but our burgers taste good,” Julie said. “... And we do sell the sauces, because that mayo-relish sauce is kind of what a lot of the burger bars in the area are known for, their own special sauces because that was a thing when they fed the I-5 workers.”
The restaurant was initially opened in the 1950s by George and Eva Hammon as a burger bar to feed workers as construction of the new interstate began. Originally, it was just a shack with a walk-up window, but as business increased, tables were added.
It officially became Mrs. Beesley’s Burgers in 1976 when the Beesleys purchased it from the Hammons.
An indoor dining area was also built and the restaurant still stands along I-5 today, with many longtime customers from throughout Southwest Washington still stopping by on their I-5 commute to grab a burger and shake like they had during their childhoods.
Julie was one of those customers who came as a child, growing up just south of the area in Kelso, while Ron was originally from Toledo and also raised in the area.
And for as long as the federal government shutdown continues, the Zions plan on continuing to offer free grilled cheese meals, thanks to both monetary donations from customers and food donations coming from other kitchens in Lewis County.
She reiterated the free meals were available to anyone, not just those who may have lost partial or all of their SNAP benefits this month.
On Friday, Oct. 31, a pair of federal judges ruled U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration had to dip into emergency funds to the tune of $5.25 billion to continue funding SNAP benefits amid the shutdown.
The Trump administration agreed to do this on Monday, Nov. 3, according to reporting by The Hill. However, USDA officials stated the SNAP program would need at least $9 billion to be fully funded for the month of November, meaning those utilizing the program may only receive partial benefits this month, unless the shutdown ends.
While Julie, like many across the nation, hope the shutdown ends soon, with ongoing inflation showing no signs of slowing down, she stated times are tough for more than just those living on SNAP benefits.
“In general, people are struggling. I had a call, the guy wanted to know what the gimmick was (for free meals). There’s not a gimmick. If you need it, come get it,” Julie said. “There’s no shame in asking, but that’s the hardest part, asking. And I get it. We’ve all been there, one way or another.”
She added Mrs. Beesley’s still has a drive-thru for those who don’t want to get out of their car to receive a free meal. Julie stated it was hard to see who was actually coming to get the free meals.
“The ones that are getting me and are heartbreaking, are the kids,” she said.
Families are the majority of the ones showing up for the free meals, and it’s not limited to Lewis County families either, but families coming from as far down south as Castle Rock.
“I don’t see anybody taking advantage of it. I see, literally, needy people. I have not seen a lot of drug users. I have seen whole families come through the drive-thru,” Julie said.
Mrs. Beesley’s Burgers is located at 393 Cowlitz Ridge Road in Toledo just off I-5 on Exit 59. It is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. To learn more, call 360-864-4866, visit the restaurant’s website at https://www.mrsbeesleysburgers.com/ or follow it on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/53hwaxa4.
For more information about purchasing Mrs. Beesley’s Burgers, call Northfork Realty realtor Maddie Deskins at 360-580-2134 or message Deskins on the Facebook listing at https://tinyurl.com/ydyz547s.
