Reginald Thomas looks forward to his breakfast.
A bus driver for PRTC, the hot meal is a chance to take a welcome break and put fuel in his tank to keep going for the rest of the day. The price of his meal at a newly remodeled IKEA Restaurant at Potomac Mills mall in Woodbridge is easy to swallow, too.
“It’s 99 cents. By far, this is the best breakfast deal in town,” said Thomas, of Lake Ridge, who is a regular here on workdays.
With a plate piled high full of sausage and potatoes, Thomas poured himself a drink from a self-serve beverage station that sits in the middle of the floor and then he found himself a seat.
“I don’t eat the eggs here,” he said. “For some reason, they’re not cooked the way I like them. I like my eggs cracked, and they don’t do that here.”
The IKEA Restaurant is one of the lesser known breakfast destinations in Woodbridge. Unlike a greasy diner, the place is not packed at breakfast time.
Like other food served at the restaurant, including the trademark Sweedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauced served for lunch and dinner, patrons line up cafeteria style to have a server place food on a customer’s plate. Hungry diners point to what they want behind glass, grab a side dish from a case, and move down the line to a register, and then onto a drink station and condiment stand.
IKEA recently completed an upgrade of the restaurant’s seating, adding new, larger, family-style tables and chairs, as well as smaller tables with electrical outlets so those on the go can come in, plug in, grab a bite and work in the “FIKA” area.
“We want them to come in and spend time here not only on our busy weekends but whenever they have time so they can get a taste of the IKEA atmosphere,” said Terra Deleon, a spokeswoman for the IKEA Woodbridge store.
There’s also new food on the menu, as the Sweedish furniture maker announced last year it would add a new vegetarian Sweedish meatball offering and a new Pico de gallo salmon plate.
Managers at the IKEA Woodbridge store will celebrate the remodeling of the restaurant over the course of three days, starting at 5 p.m. Friday with the giveaway for 100 “mystery prizes” in gift cards in denominations between $5 and $100. Diners will also be able to feast on a discounted 3-course meal for $7, regularly priced at $10.
On Saturday, the first 30 people in line will get a gift bag with Sweedish goods. The restaurant will feature specials all day. On Sunday, the restaurant will feature a discounted brunch.
