Tam’s Place, a restaurant that has long occupied the intersection of Stadium Way and Main Street, is serving its last meal today. Tam and Dave Shermer signed the building over to Mike Wagoner, the owner of Zoe Coffeehouse and Pub, yesterday afternoon.

A few minutes before 10 a.m., Tam took a break from the hustle and bustle to eat her breakfast and socialize with customers eager to encourage and support her next chapter.

“My husband is cooking and the other cook is late,” Tam said. Once Dave traded shifts, he and Tam drove over to Whitman County Title and officially signed their business over to Wagoner.

A cold bowl of oatmeal, a half-eaten banana, and remnants of bacon were shuffled around the table as restaurant patrons bounced back and forth from her table to their booths.

“I’ve known him 30 years,” she said pointing to a man sitting two booths to her right. “I’ve known them 10 years,” she said, pointing to a couple sitting on the opposite end of the room.

Tam has grown close to a large number of Pullman community members within the last 40 years. A lifelong career in the dining industry has earned her an unwaveringly positive reputation.

Towards the end of the Vietnam War in 1972, Tam moved to Washington state with her husband, an American soldier who served overseas. Two years later, the Shermers settled in Pullman so Dave could study criminal justice.

With three children to raise and a husband to help support, Tam began her work in the dining industry washing dishes, serving and hosting.

As the years progressed, her husband graduated from WSU and joined her in the industry. The duo worked at a restaurant called Perkins in 1975 and later opened their own business, called Shermer’s, in 1988. Finally, in 2003, Tam’s Place Restaurant took ahold of Pullman with Dave cooking in the kitchen and Tam serving customers from the front desk.

Above that front desk hang fish plaques and postcards along with a signed Apple Cup football and Rose Bowl jacket – small pieces of WSU history that both Shermers have become a part of.

Tam is confident this history will be preserved and looks forward to her and Dave’s next chapter in life. However, she isn’t entirely sure what that chapter will look like.

The deal with Mike Wagoner, signed yesterday, has been on the table for about six months, she said. Now that it has finally gone through, she needs to rebound from being tired and stressed.

“I have not stopped working in 40 years,” she said. “Some weeks I would work 50 to 60 hours. I don’t know how to do much else.”

In spite of needing to adjust, Tam said that she has six grandkids and hobbies that will take up plenty of her time.

“I love fishing,” she said. “And I love gambling. My grandson just turned 21 in January; I’m taking him to Las Vegas for Spring Break.”

Additionally, Dave has injuries and subsequent surgeries that demand her attention.

“He’s hurting,” she said. “He needs a break.”

The only foreseeable future for Tam is what her options are this weekend.

Wagoner plans to let Tam’s Place continue serving through the weekend before completely shutting down the establishment. Both Tam and Dave aren’t sure whether they will take Mike up on his offer.

The negotiation involves Wagoner receiving 10 percent of the gross profits, she said. However, she wants to go through with it for the sake of her current employees, who could benefit from one last busy weekend.

After a few days of the building going unused, Zoe’s Coffeehouse and Pub should re-open in it.

“We’re taking it in stages,” Wagoner said.

For the first few weeks, a high amount of concentration will be spent on developing a good breakfast menu that includes old and new dishes, he said. The signature coffee bar that was offered at the previous Zoe’s location will be implemented immediately.

Currently, Wagoner has an architect drafting design plans for a remodel of the building to make it more applicable to the customer base.

Once Zoe’s Coffeehouse and Pub officially re opens, it is Wagoner’s hope to have the drive-thru ready to use by the end of WSU’s spring break period, which lasts between March 16 and 20. Once this is implemented, Wagoner is considering staying open later.

Wagoner said there are about eight of his former employees who he plans to bring back on his new staff. Additional employees applying, especially a breakfast cook, must be experienced and innovative, Wagoner said.

Tam suggested that she might look to serve with Wagoner’s business for a while during her transition into a work-free lifestyle, depending on how their relationship evolves.

“I really like Mike,” she said. “We’re neighbors, actually.”

Whatever the outcome is, Tam is satisfied with her current status and is confident Wagoner will do well in his new location.

Tam has not only maintained a Pullman community fan base, but an additional WSU community fan base that she said will roll over to Wagoner’s following.

“A lot of college kids love me,” she said.

She loves the customers that have stuck around for decades and loves the customers that have dropped in for the first time.

“Those college kids,” she said. “They’re fun. It’s like they are our own kids.”

Regardless of whether Tam’s Place stays open one last weekend, their services will be available today. Final goodbyes can be said between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.