Monthly Archives: September 2025

Geraldine’s Counter: The Columbia City Legend Just Turned 20

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Geraldine's Counter Store Front

For two decades, we’ve had the joy of baking for Geraldine’s Counter. Since the Columbia City favorite opened in 2005, our bread and baked goods have been part of countless breakfasts, lunches, and celebrations at the corner diner that became a neighborhood institution almost overnight.

Geraldine’s has a gift for making the classics feel fresh. Though they’re famous for their French toast — crisp outside, custardy within — it’s hard to resist their pancakes. And those are just two of many temptations: cage-free eggs, hash browns, and toast in various combinations, fluffy omelets, the signature egg casserole, biscuits and gravy, and corned-beef hash. Then there’s lunch! Don’t overlook the chop salads or meatloaf sandwich.

Geraldine's Breakfast Food

On weekends, families, friends, and neighbors crowd the brightly colored, big-windowed room. If there’s a line, the Geraldine’s team keeps it moving with grace and a smile. Many a friendship has been formed while waiting. The weekday pace eases slightly, but the welcome never does. At every turn, what keeps guests returning is care.

That care starts with ingredients. Geraldine’s turns to local producers, Macrina among them, choosing the finest, freshest goods the region offers. “I think the people who are a part of it make it special,” Seattle hoops legend Jamal Crawford told Seattle Met when naming Geraldine’s his pick for the city’s best breakfast. “It just has this vibrant, community feel. You can see some of everybody in there, and it’s just all kinds of people mingling and interacting.”

Geraldine's Founders

The restaurant’s spirit is inseparable from co-founder Gary Snyder, Columbia City’s unofficial “mayor,” who died in May 2023. Snyder believed restaurants should build community, and Geraldine’s still embodies his vision. His warmth still radiates through the room.

Gary’s co-founder and business partner Stacey Hettinger spoke with the Seattle Times about opening in Columbia City, saying that “a community with a diversity of young and old families, mixed races and languages” was essential to the mission. Two decades on, Geraldine’s continues to fulfill that promise.

We congratulate Geraldine’s Counter on twenty years of doing the simple things beautifully and feeding Columbia City, and visitors from across Seattle, with heart. Cheers to the next twenty.

Visit their website for hours and location.

Join our Loyalty Program!

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Enjoy a Free Olivias Chocolate Chip Cookie when you sign up with the link below

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Sign up: Click here and register for the Macrina Loyalty Program.

2. Check In: At checkout, enter your loyalty account phone number.  

3. Earn: Five points for every dollar you spend in our cafés. 

4. Track: We’ll text you a link to your points page. You can also view it in Cash App or add a digital pass to Apple Wallet. 

5. Redeem: 100 points = $1 in rewards. At checkout, provide your phone number or tap your digital loyalty pass to select and apply rewards.  

6. Stay Updated: Receive SMS notifications for points earned, rewards available and special promotions!

A minimum of 100 points is required to redeem, points expire one year from the date of issue, and points cannot be applied retroactively, transferred, or redeemed for cash. The free Olivia’s Chocolate Chip Cookie reward, available when you register using the link in this email, will appear as $3.55 off.

Sign-up here

Community Powered: Bread Bakers Guild of America 

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From September 15 to 21, the net proceeds from the sale of our Large Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies will benefit the Bread Bakers Guild of America. 

“The community of bakers and bakeries in this country is — and I think the Bread Bakers Guild has been a big part of that — so open,” says Scott France, Macrina’s president and co-owner. “It’s a pleasure to connect with people who are striving to do the same thing we are: make great bread and support our teams.” 

The Bread Bakers Guild of America is the nation’s premier organization devoted to the art and science of bread. It counts nearly 2,000 bakers, millers, farmers, and suppliers among its members. Its mission is to strengthen craft baking through education, training, and community. Founded in 1993, the year Macrina opened, the Guild emerged just as the artisan-bread movement was gaining steam and more Americans were discovering the joy of fresh bread. 

Running a bakery is challenging, and the Guild’s support gave Macrina founder Leslie Mackie a welcome boost. Leslie served on the board from 2012 to 2015. In 2024, Scott accepted a three-year seat on the board — a nod to the industry’s regard for Macrina. 

Guild ties have helped Macrina surmount the challenges of growing into a multifaceted bakery while preserving Macrina’s artisan standards. A strong internal culture, rooted in supporting and developing dedicated employees, still drives the quality that first defined Macrina. 

Scott says, “As we have grown over the years, we have visited bakeries all over the country — most of them through connections with the Bread Bakers Guild, which is such a great resource for all of us. Any Guild member who wants to come and visit Macrina is welcome. We would love to have you come by.”