PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – MoonDogs, Too is a place customers have come to count on for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But the draw goes way beyond the burgers and beer.
Corina Herring remembers why she applied for a job at the restaurant seven years ago.
“I came to work for Darryl mostly because when I was driving down the road, I saw the sign that said free Thanksgiving dinner, and I knew that that was a place I wanted to work,” said Herring.
Darryl Baldwin, the owner, would say it is about giving back to the community. He would host free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners because he did not want people to be alone on the holidays.
Girlfriend Sheila Cline remembers how Darryl would work from the time the place opened until closing at 2 a.m.
“He wanted so bad for it to continue,” said Cline. “We did the best we could with the circumstances we were in,”
Cline says Darryl lost his battle with cancer in April 2014.
For two and a half years, the staff kept the place running. But now resources have run out, and they say it is time to close.
“You feel like we have worked so hard trying to keep his legacy alive and now it is coming to an end,” said Herring. “I know we didn’t let him down, but it feels that way.”
It's the farewell party no one in Port Orchard wanted, but every table was full Friday night. The community showed up to celebrate their gathering spot.
MoonDogs, Too will host a Halloween Party Saturday, a music jam session Sunday, and will serve customers for the last time Monday night.
