Shelley Taylor

Hardy’s Market
Location #1
At the roundabout, 10200 Old Olympic Highway
6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Contact: 582-0240 or www.hardysmarketsequim.com/

Hardy’s Market
Location #2
33 Taylor Cut-Off Road, Sequim, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Hardy’s Market
Location #3
Olympic Game Farm
1423 Ward Road, Sequim
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, Saturday-Sunday until 5 p.m.

Last summer (remember summer?), we circled ’round the roundabout and took our out-of-town guests to Hardy’s deli for a quick, custom sandwich.

 

It was then I made a “note to self”: Tell my readers about it!

 

Sorry it took me so long.

 

It was shortly after Hardy’s premiered 5½ years ago that Randy Dupont, who hails from Colorado, wanted a change, joined other members of his family and became Hardy’s new proprietor.

 

Randy and his two sisters and niece have been having a ball serving their customers ever since.

 

He enjoys making daily rounds to all the Hardy’s locations — just to keep in touch with his loyal locals.

 

Randy told me, “The only aspect our business is built on is good customer relations. That’s our main focus — customer service. We want everyone in town to come to Hardy’s. We love our customers. We have lots of fun.”

 

Talk about knowing customers are No. 1: Tucked inside the market is, well, the family living room. That’s exactly what it feels like. Comfy couches in a cozy paneled oasis, collectibles giving it a sense of history and home.

 

I could’ve watched the TV (or used the Wi-Fi connection) but decided to take advantage of my front row seat to the Olympic Mountains — which were “out” that day. If our summer gets any cooler, I’m sure they would’ve cranked up the fireplace for me — it’s the heart of the room.

 

For those who don’t have time to lollygag, you always can zoom through their drive-thru window.

 

Hardy’s uses local vendors such as Sunny Farms to create their sandwiches, local coffee companies for their java drinks (inquire about their “Buy 7 and get the 8th Free” Espresso card), local Ozark BBQ sauce, local Jose’s Salsa, and local Casey’s Kettle Corn. They even sell locally made greeting cards!

 

Among the “made in their own kitchen” offerings are their pasta and potato salads, which you’ll find ready to grab in the refrigerated case. They also make their own carrot cake and brownies. Something to consider for late-night foraging.

 

For my lunch, I ordered a 6-inch tuna sub. They bake their own breads, too, and the Wheat of Hoagie roll was incredibly fresh and soft. The tuna recipe is nuthin’ fancy — just the way I like it. I added fresh crispy lettuce and fresh tomato and dill pickle slices. I made it a “meal” by adding a fountain drink and chips for $6.39 out the door (check their website for coupons to print out for more savings). And they had my beloved Fritos! I was a happy camper. Large (12-inch) subs are $7.69-$7.99. Deli Slice sandwiches are $5.59-$5.89 (half sandwich $2.99), and wraps are $5.99.

 

I’m sure you’re more adventurous foodwise than I, so you have lots of choices for making your own combo sandwiches: There’s a White of Hoagie roll, of course, in addition to the wheat. Or wheat, white or sourdough deli slice bread. Even tomato or jalapeño wraps. Condiments include horseradish, chipotle, Grey Poupon, ranch or honey mustard. Cheese choices are cheddar, provolone, Swiss, pepper jack, American, Havarti. Meat choices are roast beef, turkey, ham, Hardy Italian (pepperoni, salami, ham, bologna), pastrami, Italian, chicken fajita, or Philly steak. And, eat your veggies: avocado, cucumber, onion, green pepper, olives, pepperoncini, jalapeños, plus the more common varieties.

 

And they really do love their customers. When I asked about their smoothies, one of their cheery counter servers offered to give me some of her own “custom made” smoothie. It tasted just like those nostalgic Dreamsicle ice cream bars.

 

Here’s a great place to get your pizza. They bake their own. You can take ‘n bake or they’ll bake it for you. And, you can order pizza by the slice ($2.99).

 

Hungry for breakfast? There are ham, bacon and sausage breakfast sandwiches for $2.69. Breakfast burritos are reasonable, too. Try the Hardy Skillet Burrito (cheese, sausage, potato, egg, bacon); Seattle Skillet Burrito (cheese, onion, green peppers, sausage, egg, bacon), or the Steak Burrito (shaved steak, onion, green peppers). And Biscuits & Gravy ($2.79). The Southwest Chicken Fajita for $3.79 comes with seasoned chicken fajita, egg, onion, green peppers and a “touch of jalapeño.”

 

Hardy’s has two other locations. Hardy’s Texaco, run by sister Debbie, is at the corner of U.S. Highway 101 at Taylor Cut-Off Road. Same great menu. Because of size constraints, the market portion is a bit smaller as are eating areas.

 

But the big surprise was their location at the Olympic Game Farm! More like a concession stand, there are children’s drinks, candy, gum, sunflower seeds, sandwiches and pizza, too. Randy tells me his customers often stop by at the “roundabout” location for lunch and then venture to the game farm for Umpqua Ice Cream.

 

Ice cream and the game farm — a great way to round out fun times on the peninsula.

 

Shelley Taylor and her husband relocated to the peninsula from California. By her own admission, Taylor likes to eat.