Billie's Diner: Supporting Farmers & Sharing Pie in Airway Heights

Billie's diner puts farmers at the front of a familiar concept

BY SYNDEY FLUKER

“It’s really dictated by nature,” says McKenzie DonTigny, owner of Billie’s Diner in Airway Heights.

“We’re not going to serve something that is out of season because that’s not who we are.”

DonTigny calls Billie’s a farmer-first American diner—while Billie’s serves diner classics, its menu is mainly informed by the products in the field. And for DonTigny there is nothing better for the body and soul than real, farm-fresh produce.

Working with her head chef, Sarah George, DonTigny reworks the menu whenever they run out of produce. She acknowledges that many modern-day customers have come to expect the availability of fresh produce like tomatoes, often sourced from California and Mexico, all year round. DonTigny promises that won’t be the case at Billie’s.

“We’ll probably get some pushback and that’s going to be part of the consumer education that we’re doing, but then when tomato season rolls around next summer, that’s going to be a huge highlight. You’re probably going to see tomatoes on at least half of the menu,” DonTigny says.

On average, they source 70% of ingredients and products from the Inland Northwest, with farmers stretching from Spangle to the Palouse.

“My chef and I are going and traveling around to different farms throughout the week and picking things up. But as a business, we do have to survive, so right now some of our bacon comes from Montana,” DonTigny says. “We try to be intentional with all of our vendors and make sure they have business and farming practices we can align with.”

Some local farms they currently work with include Vets on the Farm, the Spokane Hutterian Brethern, and Browning Beef.

Frankie Browning lives in Spangle and owns Browning Beef with her husband. She noted DonTigny was one of the few to seek her out instead of vice versa. Browning highlighted DonTigny’s practices, saying there was no price negotiation and instead an abundance of support for their farming practices.

“I’m just so proud of her,” Browning says. “I feel strongly about her vision of being a female business owner and trying to do something that a lot of people claim they want to do. But I really believe she’s seeing it through with the true farm-to-table because there really isn’t anything like that in this area. She’s a trailblazer. I feel really excited to be riding her coattails.”

DonTigny says the main reason she wanted to work with Browning was for her strong understanding of how her cows work and how to truly care for them. And DonTigny swears you can taste Browning’s love in the burger.

“She has a strong vision of truly educating her staff on the practices of the products that they are serving and in the future having our meat available for consumers to purchase there,” Browning says. “She is going for the whole deal, not just serving food to customers.”

Originally from Lake Stevens, just north of Seattle, DonTigny says she has always had a lifelong love of food. Her mom grew up on a farm and would frequently incorporate produce from her huge garden into their nightly family meals. Every night, at 6 p.m. on the dot, DonTigny would gather with her family for a home-cooked supper, cementing her appreciation for the community that can be felt around a table.

“Sitting down and sharing a meal is something that I want to give others an opportunity to love,” DonTigny says.

The idea for Billie’s came about early in the pandemic. But DonTigny has wanted to own a restaurant for as long as she can remember, even putting together a full business plan as part of a high school competition for a restaurant that would cater to customers with food allergies.

DonTigny worked in both front of house and back of house throughout high school and college, but Billie’s is the first restaurant and first business that she owns. Pre-pandemic, DonTigny was working on the marketing side of the food industry, living in the corporate world for about 10 years before being laid off.

“As stressful as it was at the time, it was really a blessing that I had this opportunity to really ask myself what I wanted and to rebuild a life that I wanted,” DonTigny says. “So I decided, ‘you know what, I’m going to open a restaurant,’ which seemed like a crazy idea at the time in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic.”

After two years of writing business plans, pitching to banks, networking with farmers, staffing and more, DonTigny finally opened the doors of Billie’s Diner to the public in September, naming the restaurant after her dad who passed away six years ago.

“He was the sort of person who could just connect with anyone,” she says. “The amount of family vacations we lost him on because he was off talking to this random person and within 10 minutes knew their entire life story—that's something I really wanted to bring to life here. In a simple, intentional moment, over a slice of pie, you can find a new best friend. So it's a daily reminder to keep that spirit alive here.”

DonTigny says her dad loved American classics like hot dogs and hamburgers, but she is incorporating other family favorites into the menu as well. The baked beans are made with a recipe from her dad’s brother, using three kinds of beans, their house barbecue sauce, jalapeños and poblano peppers.

Located off of Sunset Highway, Billie’s Diner occupies one of the original buildings in Airway Heights, dating back to 1948 when nearby Fairchild Airforce Base was home to the B-29 Superfortress and diners were commonplace across the American dining landscape.

“I wanted to go to a place that really needed a restaurant,” DonTigny says of Airway Heights. “There are a ton of people out here–the population is close to 8,000 and that doesn’t include Medical Lake and Cheney.”

DonTigney also notes that many of the dining options in the Airway Heights area are chain restaurants, limiting locals from being able to enjoy truly fresh options.

“The whole point of this project is to build community, so I wanted to come to a place that really needed a restaurant like this,” DonTigny says. “It also helps that we’re so close to farmlands out there, which, of course, is a key focus for us.”

DonTigny was familiar with Spokane from her childhood drives to Montana to visit family, but didn’t fully experience the area until she attended Gonzaga University after high school.

“Going to Gonzaga I really had a chance to explore this area and get to know it a bit more,” DonTigny says. “I feel like most people aren’t aware of just how special Spokane is. It’s a very small, tight-knit community.”

Just like the everything at Billie’s Diner, the decor blends the traditional diner aesthetic with its farmer-first practices. Forest green walls are covered with watercolor paintings of vegetables created by DonTigny’s mom and photographs of farms from the Palouse taken by her godmother. Classic diner chrome is incorporated via its counter and a big clock on the wall, while a Ford tailgate and grill hang next to the kitchen to add a rustic farm touch.

“The design inspiration for this was to make it feel like home,” DonTigny says. “Diners are always very comfortable, very homey. You can walk into a diner no matter who you are, what you’re wearing and what time of day. That’s something I wanted to bring to life here.”

DonTigny even grows herbs on-site in a garden behind the diner, just like her mom did.

Billie’s offers 24-hour pie orders and private parties in the diner, available at night. During the holidays, DonTigny plans to launch meal kits for customers to take home with them.

Down the road, DonTigny hopes to bring the table to the farm and open a fine-dining focused restaurant on a farm. Until then, she will keep bringing the farm to the table at Billie’s Diner.

In the brief time since Billie’s opened, the diner has been delivering on DonTigny’s goals of being a community gathering place. During the week, it’s not uncommon to see booths filled with servicemen and women from nearby Fairchild Air Force Base, fueling up with a mugful of Evans Brothers coffee alongside Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy. On weekends, families descend on Billie’s as parents enjoy options like the Hog Belly Scramble and kiddos can get their own mini version, a Cheese Scramble with Hashbrowns and Bacon. Be sure to order the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes for the table!