A bright Thursday morning and Maggie’s On Meeker is lively and full of happy and satisfied customers. For many, Maggie’s is part of their daily or weekly routine and new owner Raman Arora says that some are even more frequent.
“The people, the community [make Maggie’s special]. They come here every day, even sometimes twice a day,” she said. “It’s like a small family. It doesn’t feel like a restaurant, you know? It’s like a family, when I come here, I don’t feel like I’m coming to work.”
Arora took over Maggie’s in April 2024 when the previous owner Sue Froyd had decided to retire after running Maggie’s for decades, establishing it as one of Kent’s most favorite restaurants, winning the hearts (and stomachs) of countless and award after award.
Arora had actually received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the annual PLACES Conference in 2024 and this year, Maggie’s was up for six nominations for the 2025 Best of Kent contest — Best Waiter/Waitress, Best Bakery, Best Breakfast, Best Coffee Shop, Best Family Restaurant and Best Lunch — and has officially won for Bakery, Family Restaurant and Waitress, the latter of which goes to Jessica Patterson.
Patterson, who had previously won the Best Waitress award in 2020, 2021 and 2023, has been working at Maggie’s for 14 years and she believes she keeps being voted the best in the city because of her regulars. “I treat people the way I would want to be served when I go out to a restaurant,” she said. “Everything I do to serve the people is how I would want it done to me.”
Getting to see Patterson work is a lesson in humor, charm and customer service — she is warm and charismatic and such a pro that it is apparent that she knows how to take care of Maggie’s patrons. This energy and attitude extends to the entire Maggie’s crew and to Arora herself, who is not kidding when she says that having a meal at Maggie’s is like having a meal with family.
“Our customers are loyal to us,” Arora said. “It’s all because of them and I love them. I’m lucky because somebody is always helping, like with paint or helping with decorations or cleaning up outside. They care.”
Along with the great customer service and atmosphere, the food at Maggie’s is also a winner, thanks to the restaurant’s coffee bar, bakery and home-style cooking with classic breakfast foods like pancakes and omelets, along with a lunch menu full of sandwiches, burgers, soup, fish and chips, salads, chicken-fried steak, which Arora says is a favorite, and even meatloaf.
A mainstay of downtown Kent, Maggie’s, which was named for Froyd’s beloved border collie, is located at 307 West Meeker Street and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 253-852-4116 or visit maggie-son-meeker.com
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