A new diner called Off Track has opened at 422 Legion Way SE in downtown Olympia, taking over the space that once housed the Gotti Sweets bakery. The restaurant, opened by Taylor Vroman and Dan Compean, has been serving lunch and dinner for about a week and is already leaning on one sandwich in particular to win over the neighborhood.
According to The Olympian, Off Track opened in September and describes itself as a diner specializing in sandwiches, soups and salads. The menu includes the Big Brie, a ham-and-brie sandwich on sourdough that has become the restaurant's top-selling item, alongside the Dipper, a French dip-style sandwich on a baguette, and a Thai pork sandwich also served on a baguette. Burgers on buns, including a salmon burger, round out the heartier options, while fried cauliflower with lemon tahini dressing, potato crisps, and a mix of vegan and vegetarian dishes give the menu some range beyond classic diner fare.
A Kitchen Veteran Behind the Counter
Taylor Vroman, who originates from Aberdeen, is described as a chef and longtime restaurateur who has worked in the Olympia area for 15 years and run restaurant kitchens for about 20 years overall, per the same account. His résumé also includes stints in New York City, Portland, Oregon, and the Midwest before landing back on Legion Way to open Off Track. Vroman told the outlet that the diner operates daily, a detail that lines up with its posted hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
Co-owner Dan Compean brings a different set of skills to the operation, having worked as a general manager with front-of-the-house experience, the report notes. Off Track offers a limited selection of beer and wine to go with its food menu, and the space includes room for on-site dining as well as the capacity to handle takeout business.
Right-Sized Kitchen, New Chapter for the Space
The owners chose the Legion Way location because the space was the right size for what they wanted to build, according to the same report, and the building came equipped with a commercial range hood and a walk-in cooler already in place. Those kitchen essentials had previously served Gotti Sweets, the Olympia-born bakery run by siblings Rebecca and Arthur Gottlieb, which had relocated to Legion Way in downtown Olympia after operating in the Hawks Prairie shopping area, according to thurstontalk.com. That downtown space was roughly half the square footage of the bakery's earlier Hawks Prairie location, the outlet reported at the time.
Off Track's arrival marks a shift in use for the storefront, from a bakery known for cakes to a diner built around sandwiches and shareable sides. With daily hours running from late morning into the evening, the new owners appear to be positioning the restaurant to catch both the lunch crowd and diners looking for a casual dinner in downtown Olympia.
