In Elk Plain, The Hideaway rocks during the Seahawks Redskins game

By Marianne Lincoln

The Hideaway parking lot was full Sunday for the game

The parking lot at the Spanaway Wal-Mart had empty spaces right up front on a Sunday afternoon. Something important had to be going on. Of course, it was the Seattle Seahawks playing the Washington Redskins in Maryland for the Wild Card spot in the Super Bowl playoffs.

Open front row at Wal_Mart Sunday afternoon!

Just a mile up the road, The Hideaway, a newly opened restaurant and sports bar in Elk Plain was rocking with guests in Seahawks regalia. A week earlier, the bar began taking reservations for the game. They have a seating capacity of 93 and before Saturday they had sold out according to owner Ed Zenker.

The Hideaway Sports Pub & Eatery is a family venture. Zenker’s children and grandchildren operate the restaurant and sports bar. They sank thousands of dollars in video equipment to make every seat a front row.

Tucker Mullen was serving in a Wilson shirt He said the bar has been in operation since about 1923. They purchased it as Lee’s Tavern. Earlier than that, it had been the Relay Station and the Tonk.

Benjamin Funk was cheering on the Hawks in a Seahawks jersey and hat with Marshawn Lynch dreadlocks in the back. His day job is operating Freddie’s Fine Foods in Spanaway. He has eight food trucks that operate at fairs and events, including the Puyallup Fair, serving cotton candy, funnel cakes and other fried delights. He is greatly interested in helping build the community he lives in and planning to get involved in the conversation about an open market at the new Bethel Learning Center. There is a group meeting there on Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m. to work out the details.

Also in the crowd was Bill Bailey, the rep. from the Washington Education Association at the UNISERV office that negotiates teacher contracts at Bethel and Franklin Pierce. Since I am a former school board member, we joked about not having met before.

The Hideaway is a family restaurant and many people also brought their older children to watch the game. I arrived on the scene at the end of the third quarter, just before Lynch ran the ball in for a touchdown putting the Hawks on top. Everyone was standing, high fiving each other and a cacophony of cheering and whooping noises rocked the building for several minutes.

The Hideaway opened in November 2012. If you are interested in watching the game next week between the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons, you better get your reservations in soon. The game starts at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Plan on dressing for the occasion with your best Seahawks gear and paraphernalia, you’ll be with some serious fans.

The Hideaway Sports Pub & Eatery is located at 23227 Mountain Highway East, Spanaway. Their phone number is 253-655-5298. You can find them on Facebook and Yelp. Tucker Mullen can be contacted at tuckermullen@msn.com. Their website: http://www.thehideawaysportspub.com/ , their hours are Mon – Fri: 10:00 am – 2:00 am, Sat – Sun: 8:00 am – 2:00 am.