Stopsky's is Open!!!

Too much of a good thing?

That's probably what Jeff and Lara Sanderson were thinking as the owners of Mercer Island's newest restaurant, , officially opened for business at 7 a.m. Monday morning and within hours had a line of patrons going out the door.

By around 2 p.m., Stopsky's had sold out of all of their freshly-baked bagels, most of their baked goods, house-smoked meats and fish, salads and schmears — forcing them to close early ().

"This is pent-up demand," said Jeff Sanderson. "We want people to be able to come in and be able to get what they want. We'll double the number of bagels we bake tomorrow and we'll be getting better every day."

The Sanderson's said they'll re-open the restaurant early tomorrow at 7 a.m. The restaurant is a Jewish delicatessen with a focus healthy, homemade and locally sourced foods from the Pacific Northwest.

branch manager Linda Wareham had heard about Stopsky's opening early enough and ordered out lunch for her staff. Despite a line that never seemed to end, she said the opening seemed to be a huge success and the food was more than worth the wait.

"They have killer smoked olives they smoke themselves," she raved. "And I absolutely loved the red pickled peppers that came with my falafel platter ... The pastry and bagels are freshly delicious."

Demand was so high that the owners decided to hire a former executive from the high-end Seattle restaurant scene. Steven Fantello, a former Executive Director of Operations from Wild Ginger and The Triple Door from 1995 to 2008, will run the restaurant as General Manager.

"It's a great day," said Lara Sanderson, "it's been a magical day, and now we've got another great person to help us keep things that way." 

Retail counter clerk Kay Morrison said the excitement was in the air over the weekend on Saturday when the restaurant's door was left open in the fine weather and curious onlookers walked in to sample the food.

"We had over 100 people through the doors," she said. "This morning was great too. It was around 10:30 a.m. when everyone in town decided to come in!"

Stopsky's is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. during opening week, and will then open for normally scheduled business hours of 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., daily.