Don’s Ruston Market & Deli

Ruston, United States

3.6

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 253-759-8151
Website:
www.donsrustonmarketanddeli.net
Address:
5102 N Winnifred St, Ruston, WA, 98407
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.5 mi#10 & #11
0.6 miPoint Defiance
2.4 miTahlequah
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Ruston) 1:59 AM Sunday, May 25, 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Great lunches of sandwiches, burgers, polish dogs and fountain treats! Pick up supplies for a picnic in the park at our full service deli or dine in with us.

History

Established in 1906.

The Olson Mercantile was established on N. 52nd & Shirley Street in 1906; the year the Town of Ruston incorporated. A fire in the neighboring bakery forced their relocation to the corner of N. 51st & Winnifred St. in 1919.

The Olson Mercantile, for three generations (with a couple of name changes through marriages), sold to new owners, Dan and Debby McMahill, in 1976 — 1983.

Then Don and Beth Torbet purchased the business in 1983; installed the Antique 1940’s Soda Fountain and lunch counter in 1985 and continue to preserve a community gathering hub in the Town of Ruston. Stop in to say hi and enjoy the friendships you will easily find!

Meet the Business Owner

Don T.

Business Owner

Don or his wife Beth will meet and greet each guest and make your favorite fountain treat. Don is also the Fire Chief in the Town of Ruston, so don’t be offended when he runs out to help a neighbor if his pager goes off!

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20 reviews of Don’s Ruston Market & Deli

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Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
I love this place! Great sandwiches and the people are wonderful super cute ice cream stop :)
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
We stopped here for milkshakes and ice cream. They only have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, but those 3 flavors make some impressive milkshakes. I ordered and espresso milkshake and it was the best shake I have ever had. I cannot wait to comeback and see if they make food as good as they make shakes.
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
The soda fountain is great. Milkshakes are awesome. My kids love their hot dogs and ice cream cones (complete with sprinkles). Don is always very nice to us. The only thing that would make them better is a couple coolers full of craft beer from local breweries. :)
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
Awesome shakes. Can’t go wrong with a marshmallow or vanilla shake on a hot sunny day in Ruston. Vintage décor with a awesome checkerboard.
Place rating: 1
Tacoma, WA
I was looking for a local gem and came across a bunch of really good reviews for this place so I figured I’d give it a try. Seriously people? How is this place open? I could have made a sandwich at home better than this place!
Also I wouldn’t suggest running to this place looking for anything in their so called «store» they have like 5 things you could purchase.
Place rating: 4
Federal Way, WA
Food was great! They were very kind to my daughters. They were a bit disorganized, but if you don’t mind a small wait, it is well worth it! Shakes are not to be missed. We had 1 chocolate, 1 chocolate expresso, 1 cherry, and 1 vanilla and they were all fabulous. If you are doing anything near Pt. Defiance, it is well worth a stop in.
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
I love the milkshakes from this place — they’re delicious, have a good variety of flavors, and the place is a local gem. They can also make you a sundae, sodas, sandwiches and other things. I would definitely recommend this place.
Place rating: 1
Tacoma, WA
We haven’t had the best experiences here before– but have gone back a few times to support a local business. After this last visit we won’t be back.
The woman who owns it is just the least friendly person I’ve ever met. I was there with my daughter and my mom, and it felt like we were really putting her out by existing. Then I bought a bottled juice. After my daughter started drinking I looked inside (it was an opaque container) and there was mold inside!!! I look at the bottom and it expired three months ago. I went and told her, she didn’t bother to apologize and just said «yeah, there are a couple in there– you can get a new one.»
Um– no thanks. Why do you know you have expired juice in there and keep it in there? Just because you’re lazy or you don’t care about your customers? And when I said no, she should have refunded me, but she didn’t.
Don’t worry, I won’t be «troubling» her with our money for their had food and horrible service again.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I love this place and never experienced any rude or poor service in fact they have a nice selection of cold cuts and cheeses. I started taking my daughter here since she was two and the people know her and what she likes to eat its really one of the only places in rustin that hasn’t changed.
Place rating: 1
Springfield, OR
Horrible service
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Very cute place — shakes are delicious, comfortable feel.
Place rating: 2
Philadelphia, PA
My friend and I stopped for lunch on our way to Point Defiance with our dogs. I was super stoked to try it out after she had hyped it up to me. We got sandwiches and sodas to go and ate them at a picnic table across the street.
Based on the sandwich alone, this review would be one star, but the soda was quite awesome. The sandwich, however, was an abomination. I ordered a turkey with provolone — my go-​to. First of all, it was far from cheap. It tasted AND looked beyond processed. It was nearly inedible, and I felt bad even feeding it to my dog. If I wanted Wal-​mart lunchmeat, I would have gone to Wal-​mart.
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
Good sandwiches and burgers, but what really shines here are the ice cream sodas, root beer floats, milkshakes, and phosphates. Honestly, I had to ask what a phosphate is – not something you find very often. The rootbeer float and orange milkshake (think Dreamsicle taste) were absolutely delicious!
The owner and his wife were nice folks and took time to talk to the kids, which is always a plus for my reviews. The lady actually teased the kids a bit as they were searching around the front of the shop for a GeoCache that we were trying to find. Kids also enjoyed the big checkers set, which they played as we waited for our order.
This is totally a «local» place, and you can tell they know many of their customers whom they greeted by name. I miss places like this and will go out of my way to patronize them. If they were open a bit later, they’d be our go-​to when leaving Point Defiance, but I understand their constraints.
Place rating: 4
Gig Harbor, WA
Awesome place to pop in for a fresh deli sandwich to go on the way to pt defiance!
Place rating: 1
Puyallup, WA
Came in only because I purchased a Living Social. The owner and his wife were running the place. I asked the woman what kind of sugar free coffee flavors they had and she told me she didn’t know that I would have to go ask her husband. She was rude about everything. He was equally as rude. Both of them acted like they wished they were doing something else. While I was there… a guy came in and asked if they still make milkshakes. There is a menu in front that had a list of shake flavors. The owner said no… as if to mock that the guy didn’t see the shake menu in front of him and the guy said ok and left. Horrible attitudes… it is no wonder they had to send out a Living Social to get business.
Place rating: 3
Steilacoom, WA
I went on a Friday evening. It isn’t the kind of food I normally eat — burgers, meat sandwiches, milkshakes.
It is a cute place, off the beaten path. Might be a nice stop in the summer with the grandkids.
Place rating: 4
Ridgefield, WA
I come in on bike rides from the North Slope District all the time. This place is small, but it has character and a taste of a small town third place.
You can get Green River Soda here! I ordered a burger from a cute staff member. As I applied ketchup and mustard to the burger I then realized my burger was shaped into a heart. My friend’s burger, no. It was a sweet touch that I can appreciate.
As businesses come and go in Ruston, Don’s will remain. It is a place I will take my son when he is older and great place to see smiling faces.
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
Don’s Ruston Market & Deli was recommended to me years ago for their «Best-​in-​Town» shakes and authentic soda fountain. I’ve since come to find out they serve up a great basic burger with fresh lettuce and tomato and delicious deli sandwiches too.
Budget some time and you’ll see lots of locals cycle through – dads and kids, tired construction workers, old timers – Don’s Ruston Market & Deli is a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.
Prices are old-​school too. A Saturday afternoon treat won’t break the bank.
Strike up a conversation with owners Don and Beth. They bought the market just months before the nearby smelter closed down depressing the local economy for years. They’re tenacious business owners who have tried everything from supplying ice to renting scooters to endure trying times. And they have wonderful stories to tell. Don’t let Don fool you when he claims not to be a people person.
Don’s Ruston Market & Deli is a great place for lunch. Drinks are great. Food is good. Prices are low. And character abounds.
Place rating: 3
Long Beach, CA
This place was cute. We were driving along (yes on the way to the zoo) and drove by this place and just had to stop. CUTE. Plus soda fountains are a throwback to 60 years ago, so… an experience we wanted to check out. Small little soda fountain counter, funky shakes and drinks. We had to try chocolate coke– cause it just sounded totally weird. It was werid but also enjoyable. We got a little snack and some sodas and snack for the road. All in all a totally cute little place that is worth stopping in.
Note: not really a veggie-​friendly place as far as food goes, but… for a snack maybe and a drink defiantly worth it. Also there was wifi and it was free.
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
I can’t believe I have never been here. It is one of those places off the beaten path that when you happen to drive by and say «I really want to stop and check it out sometime». Well, I finally did today! I thought I would surprise the kids after church and made a b-​line to Don’s.
What a cute little place. It serves as a very small convenience store and old fashioned soda fountain. There are a couple tables inside and of course a small counter with some stools. You can order anything from flavored sodas, malts, banana spits, sundaes, floats, deli sandwiches and burgers.
We ordered a sandwich that was made fresh and piled with lots of ingredients (you can pick what you want off the board on it), a marshmallow shake, chocolate cone and a small sundae w/​chocolate sauce. I was a little bummed they did not have hot fudge though! The sandwich was very tasty and filling and of course the ice cream items were delicious. All of that cost a whopping $ 12.75! Not too shabby.
I am looking forward to many more visits to try different variations of frozen goodness!