From the Mar-T to the Double R
Since the 1940’s, the diner that is now Twede’s Cafe has been the crown jewel of downtown North Bend. It is because of its picturesque setting and classic feel that David Lynch chose this location to be the Double R Diner and the Snoqualmie Valley to be the town of Twin Peaks.
Built in 1941, this building has been a staple of downtown North Bend for 80 years. It sits on the corner of Highway 202 and North Bend Way, under the shadow of our beautiful and looming Mount Si. It has changed hands (and names) only a few times over the years and has always been a family-owned cafe. Through the decades, it has remained both a tourist destination and a local gathering place. It was because of it’s charming small-town feel and scenic location that David Lynch decided to make the diner (then the Mar-T Cafe) the focal point for the groundbreaking television hit Twin Peaks. In the year 2000, the building suffered severe fire damage from a suspected arson. It was quickly rebuilt and returned to it’s former glory. In 2015 it was transformed back into the Double R Diner for the newest season of Twin Peaks: The Return.
The diner has been visited by Twin Peaks fans from all over the country and the world. It has also remained the heart of North Bend. The cafe’s various iterations have employed hundreds of local residents as well as supported the community through events, donations, sponsorships and partnerships with other local institutions and organizations. It has been, and will continue to be, a refuge for locals and tourists alike. A place both wonderful and strange, where all are welcome and no one goes away hungry.
A Piece of History
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Thompson's Cafe
Built in 1940 by Roy Thompson, Thompson’s Cafe moved from across the street into the building we all know and love today. Roy’s son Cecil took over the diner during WWII when his father went to war. Cecil would follow his father to war and his wife took over operation of the cafe.
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Mar-T Cafe
Originally owned by Frank Marcile (Mar) and Don Tift (T). The two owners decided to part ways and flipped a coin to see who would maintain control of the Mar-T. Frank Marcile won the coin toss and Don Tift went on the open the Tift Haus (what is now the Pour House in town). Pat Cokewell took over ownership and operated the Mar-T Cafe until its sale in 1997.
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The Double R Diner
The Mar-T was used as the fictional Double R Diner in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks in 1990. Subsequent episodes of the series used a sound stage recreation of the diner. The Twin Peaks film Fire Walk With Me (1992) used the diner for all scenes inside the Double R as well as the 2017 reboot, Twin Peaks: The Return.
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Twede's Cafe
Kyle Twede bought the diner in 1997 and renamed it Twede’s Cafe. In 2000, the building suffered severe fire damage due to arson and was rebuilt in 2001. In 2015, David Lynch returned to film a reboot of the hit show Twin Peaks and Twede’s Cafe was transformed back into The Double R. In March of 2020 Rachel Bennett and Max Spears purchased Twede’s Cafe just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit Washington State.
