Oregon Drift

Photo by Alex Powers

For the past 22 years, Don’s Main Street Family Restaurant has been a magnet for pie enthusiasts.

Don and Perky Brooks became one of the town’s anchors, having been in the same location since 1972. Before it was Don’s they owned the Dairy Queen that was there.

Photo by Alex Powers

The restaurant’s home-style menu has everything you could want, but it’s the pies that steal the show.

And it’s almost impossible to eat at the restaurant and not see them.

The main display case is strategically located between the front and rear dining areas — so you have to pass right by it to get seated.

Before he got into the restaurant business, Don said his background was in the retail grocery business, so he knew a thing about product placement.

Photo by Alex Powers

‘We wanted to get them out where people could see them,” Don said. ‘It worked out wonderfully.

‘People can see it. It gets a lot of attention.”

I’ll say. I once described the pies at Don’s as defying gravity. As you can see by the photos accompanying this story — that is definitely the case.

One of the reasons for the consistency of the pies at Don’s is the fact that head baker Teresa Doyle has been there for the past 14 years and Bonnier Baldwin has been there for eight. They’re training a new baker, Kim Kennedy, to help with the summer rush.

Besides the sheer volume of the pies, Don’s also specializes in making pies for people with restricted diets. Some of their crusts are for people with diabetic diet restrictions.

By Ron Jackimowicz

Don’s Main Street Family Restaurant
Where: 2115 Winchester Ave., Reedsport
When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
How: Call 1-541-271-2032