The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Bill and Teresa Ayotte grew up in food service. "Teresa's mother ran a café in Garibaldi, Ore.," Bill said. "I worked at a Spudnut shop in Richland as a teenager."

Bill and Teresa are the new concessionaires at the Touchet Valley Golf Course, and their new venture, Chicken Bill's BBQ Cafe, is open for business.

The café is currently open for lunch from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week. The menu includes burgers and sandwiches, as well as daily barbeque specials. "I do my own barbeque, mostly chicken and ribs," Bill said. "We'll always have barbeque in the menu." Customers can eat in or take out.

Teresa has been the food service manager at Bluewood Ski Area since 2012. In mid-April, when that job ends for the season, Teresa will join Bill at the café, and they will begin breakfast service. They will be open at 7 a.m., and serve traditional full breakfasts, including eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, etc.

Before moving to Waitsburg in 2011, the Ayottes lived in Seaside, Ore., where they ran a pizza restaurant and bar for 13 years. They also developed a specialty of roast chicken.

"We began collecting chicken memorabilia at the restaurant," Bill says. "After a while I became known as Chicken Bill." Bill says the new café won't have a "chicken" theme, but don't be surprised if a few poultry-related items appear around the room.

After their move to the Touchet Valley, while Teresa worked at Bluewood, Bill became a food rep at Sysco Foods in Walla Walla. He retired last year.

Bill says that Chicken Bill's will be committed to serving the entire Dayton community, not just golf course patrons. "It's important that we become part of the community. We'll be involved in community events throughout the summer," he said.

The café will also host the regular golf tournaments that are held each year.

While they won't regularly serve dinner, Chicken Bill's is available for special functions. They also plan to hold regular barbeque nights on the patio just off the first tee.

To keep up on activities at Chicken Bill's, check out the "Chicken Bill's" Facebook page. They can also be reached at (509) 382-2199, or by email at bill@chickenbills.com.