Zombiez, Resurrecting an Island Hang Out

It started a little over 6 years ago on our first visit to Vashon. We took a day trip to the island after feeling a little home sick for our Caribbean home and immediately fell in love with this Northwest version of island life. We stopped at Zoomies for ice-cream and thought what a neat place it was. We jokingly said if we moved to the island Zoomies would be our new hang out. Who would have guessed years later we’d own that very same restaurant and it is indeed our very own local hang out.

Some time passed and 2 more babies arrived before the opportunity would present itself but when the "For Sale" sign went up a light bulb went off. Everything has been done on a shoe string enlisting all the favors, family, friends and resources we could beg, borrow and barter to open just 3 months after the purchase was made. Jim and I now know more than we ever thought we’d know about broken machinery, upholstering, ice-cream, zombies and so, so much more. The name Zombiez really started as a joke since we were working with such a limited budget we were playing around with how we could use the old Zoomies sign and still change the name. Jim came up with Zombies (all we needed was to turn an "o" into a "b") and with two young boys in the house the name stuck and eventually we changed the s to a z on the end. It’s more of a Scooby Doo zombie frame of mind than the brain eating kind with a little Caribbean & voodoo flair thrown in, we’re definitely having fun with it.

Of course owning a business hasn’t been easy, we struggle every month to make it through while we learn the rhythms of running an island restaurant but somehow we’ve managed. There’s still a lot we need to do and we’re tackling projects as we can. We are working hard to keep things fresh and as local as possible and doing everything by hand from cutting our fries and grinding Misty Isle Beef to hand dipping corn-dogs and chicken strips. And it was an absolute must we have good fish and chips so we serve fresh Alaskan Halibut and sometimes change it up with other fresh local fish like Wild Caught Salmon or Pacific Cod. With summer over we want to concentrate on bringing more menu selections and expanding our overall appeal. We will be adding soups, salads and espresso soon. Maybe some baked goodies too. And yes, the drive thru will be open again soon, albeit in the wrong direction. We have a lot of ideas we’d like to try so there will always be something new from decorations to food.

We are overwhelmed but not completely surprised by the support and encouragement the community has given us so far, it’s part of why we fell in love with Vashon to begin with. As things fall into place we are eager to get more involved with the community and become the kind of "hang out" people want.