Family opens coffee shop and deli at former First Federal location

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##Doug and Kelly Kizer and their daughter, Delaney, right, want the new Duffy’s Deli & Coffee to reflect Kelly’s Irish heritage and the coffee shops she and Doug loved in New York City, where they met.

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##Duffy’s has a drive-up window so customers can get their food and beverages, rather than a pneumatic tube system that was used when the building was a bank. But one of the tubes remains on the counter as a tip jar.

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##Duffy’s occupies the former First Federal branch at 350 N.E. Baker Creek Road, McMinnville. The dining room features large windows and a high ceiling. Customers order at a counter that once was the location of tellers’ windows.

A longtime local family has turned a former bank branch into a coffee shop with beverages, breakfast sandwiches and pastries, along with lunch and dinner sandwiches, salads, soups and wraps.

Duffy’s Deli & Coffee, 350 N.E. Baker Creek Road, McMinnville, is in First Federal’s former north branch. After the bank moved to new quarters at Highway 99W and McDaniel Lane, the Kizer family transformed the space into a light and airy eatery with high ceilings and big windows.

Duffy’s will hold its grand opening Saturday, March 21. It’s also open this week.

As it did as a bank, the building has a drive-up window. Customers won’t receive their drinks and food through a pneumatic tube, though; they can drive up to the window and talk face-to-face with their server.

One of the tube-shaped containers that once carried cash to bank customers remains — now a tip jar on display at the front counter.

Doug and Kelly Kizer opened Duffy’s with their daughter, Delaney, 24, who previously worked in local wine tasting rooms.

“I wanted to make sure I keep my three loves — wine and coffee and hospitality,” Delaney said.

In her previous jobs, she said, “I fell in love with people and giving them the best experience. I want to make them comfortable.”

Her mother said Duffy’s will be a spot for neighbors and other visitors, where they can have a nice beverage and something to eat in a relaxing, convivial atmosphere.

“It’s a place we’d like to go to,” Kelly said.

Kelly Kizer met McMinnville native Doug, who was working for Evergreen International Airlines, in her native New York City. They settled in McMinnville when they married in 1993. They have two sons, as well as their daughter.

Doug has been a contractor and owns Pacific Peak Reconstruction. But he’s been dreaming of opening a coffee shop for years, his wife said.

They toured several sites and hit the jackpot when they saw that the bank building was empty.

They want Duffy’s to be reminiscent of the cozy neighborhood coffee shops and delis they frequented in New York. Her grandfather, Irish immigrant James Duffy, ran a tavern there, and they honored him with the name; the living shamrocks on each table are a nod to her Irish heritage. The green accent wall above the counter is another tip o’ the hat to Ireland.

Other walls are painted white, and chairs are a strong yellow — colors they like, not a hint about the University of Oregon, especially since the Kizers are leasing the building from the OSU-leaning Davison family. They’ve all joked about the rent going up because of the paint job.

In addition to painting the walls and transforming the lobby into a dining room, the Kizers replaced what were the tellers’ stations with a counter and display cases for pastries and an assortment of beverages. They added a full kitchen and remodeled the manager’s office into a public bathroom.

Two bank vaults remain, too heavy to move, Kelly said. The smaller one can be seen behind the counter, where coffee and tea drinks are prepared. The larger vault is currently serving as storage space, but Kelly said they might turn it into an intimate meeting room.

It’s taken five months of daily work to prepare the shop, she and Doug said. Other small business owners in the area have been extremely helpful, as have friends, they said.

People even suggested that Duffy’s list a signature drink on the menu: an Irish cream latte.

The Kizer family and two employees will operate the shop from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; although the hours may change depending on customers’ habits.

Doug will work part-time in the kitchen. He makes the meatballs and sauce for the meatball sandwiches, along with preparing breakfast burritos, Italian turkey pesto sandwiches, Caesar salads and his favorite, tater tots.

The deli serves breads and pastries from a family-run Portland bakery, Dos Hermanos; the bakery makes English muffins, sourdough and rye breads and hot dog buns.

The buns hold Cloverdale brand hot dogs, which Doug said they judged to be “just a kiss better” than Nathan’s; dogs come with various topics, including traditional mustard; ketchup is available for those who ask.

Duffy’s bagels arrive from closer to home — Bunny Belly Bagels on Third Street.

As a New York-style deli, Kelly said, it is important to have great bagels for sandwiches or serving with flavored cream cheese. The family tested several bagels, and found Bunny Belly to be the best — and most authentic, she said.

Breakfast is available from 6 to 11 a.m., and lunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 503-474-9638 or go to duffys-deli.com.