For decades, Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Cafe has been a constant on Silverdale’s Old Town waterfront—a place for morning coffee, fresh pastries, and familiar faces.
For decades, Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Cafe has been a constant on Silverdale’s Old Town waterfront—a place for morning coffee, fresh pastries, and familiar faces. Now, the longtime community gathering spot is entering a new chapter under the ownership of Donna Prior, a former corporate contracts executive who has traded boardrooms and spreadsheets for ovens and espresso machines.
Prior spent 19 years at Nokia, most recently leading contracts management for North America within the company’s legal function. But after losing her husband in 2020, she began rethinking what she wanted the next phase of her life to look like.
After losing her husband in 2020, she began rethinking her life and career, gradually gravitating toward hospitality through hosting dinner parties, events and brunches with friends.
“I started asking myself what I really wanted to do,” Prior said.
That exploration eventually brought her to Kitsap County. Drawn by the area’s strong sense of community and its support for small businesses, Prior began looking for an opportunity that aligned with both her professional skills and her personal values.
“This felt like the right kind of place for me,” she said. “The environment here reminds me a bit of where I grew up. I really love the community feel.”
Honoring a Layered Legacy
Monica’s is a business with history—and not just one chapter. Over the years, the bakery has passed through multiple owners, each leaving their mark. Longtime customers are quick to share stories that stretch back decades.
“Monica and Mark had built something great,” Prior said, referring to former owners Monica and Mark Downen. “They took over from someone else, and before that there was a woman named Catherine. People will come in and say, ‘Oh, I was coming here before Mark and Monica.’ There are multiple legacies to carry on.”
That history isn’t lost on Prior. While she’s clear that changes are coming, she’s equally committed to preserving the qualities that made the bakery a community anchor in the first place.
“Continuing to participate in the community, giving back, supporting local that’s all really important,” she said. “Mark and Monica did a great job with that, and I want to continue it.”
One daily practice she has no intention of changing is food donation.
“We donate leftover food every day to the local food bank,” she said. “The specific partner might evolve, but the idea of sharing what we don’t sell—that’s not going away. I want to continue that legacy of being a gathering place and a resource.”
Her personal passions are also shaping how she gives back. This year, Monica’s supported the Humane Society’s pet pantry.
“I’m an animal lover—I have a dog,” Prior said. “People are struggling, and when that happens, pets can suffer too. Supporting the pet pantry felt like the right thing to do.”
A New Name, A New Look
Waterfront Bakery will soon become Old Town Kitchen.
“I will be changing the name, and it will be happening fairly soon,” Prior said. “Since Monica is so well known, it felt fair to change it. There’s the potential for stepping on each other, and neither of us wants that.”
The new name is already registered and reflects both location and intention.
“It’s going to be called Old Town Kitchen,” she said. “I like it because it’s directional, it tells people where you are. Hopefully it encourages people to say, ‘Oh, you’re going down to Old Town—what’s happening there?’ It also harkens back to what this area originally was.”
Inside, the space is getting a top-to-bottom refresh. Painting is scheduled for mid-January, with new flooring to follow. Prior expects the upstairs renovation to be largely complete by February, with a broader relaunch planned for the spring.
“I’m actively working on refreshing the space,” she said. “It’s time to update the concept. These are mostly aesthetic changes, but they’re important.”
Her inspiration pulls from British period dramas.
“Have you ever seen Downton Abbey?” she asked. “Downstairs is different from upstairs, and I’m leaning into a little bit of that.”
Upstairs, she envisions a warm, relaxed country-house breakfast room—comfortable and unhurried.
“The palette will be cream tones, a darker coffee color, deep espresso accents, and a sage green,” she said. “I’m adding banquettes and tables so it’s comfortable. There will be lower tables for sitting with coffee and conversation.”
Downstairs, the look will be lighter and cleaner, with new tile behind the counter and a more streamlined feel.
Curating the Menu—and the Experience
If the physical space is evolving, so is the menu.
“I’ve been watching since I came in last summer,” Prior said. “I see people get paralyzed at the register. The TV menus were overwhelming, so I took them down. We’re going to have a more curated menu.”
The goal isn’t to remove customer favorites, but to simplify choices and improve flow.
“We’ll still sell all the same types of things—sandwiches, salads, pastries, cookies, breakfast burritos,” she said. “But instead of a free-for-all, we might have six or seven core sandwiches and a daily special. It makes things easier for everyone.”
She also plans to expand the bakery side of the business.
“I love the bread we use now, but we’re going to expand,” she said. “More bakery staples, baguette loaves—something that brings in daily traffic. Fresh bread people can stop in for.”
For Prior, food is just one part of what she wants customers to experience.
“We’re not just a coffee shop,” she said. “I want people to have an experience. That’s why I’m spending so much time on the aesthetics.”
Outside, she envisions a garden-like deck with flowers and greenery, eventually hosting small events.
“I would love to host baby showers, bridal showers, dinner parties,” she said. “In the summer, brunches outside. I want it to feel comfortable and beautiful.”
Growing Catering and Community Events
One of Prior’s biggest growth priorities is catering.
“I really want to expand the catering business,” she said. “Right now it’s a smaller percentage of revenue, and I want it to be much larger, whether that’s off-site catering or events hosted here.”
She’s already working with a collaborator to refine menus and operations with the goal of “really moving the needle.”
Beyond the café walls, Prior sees opportunity in Kitsap’s growing slate of festivals and waterfront events. Plans include pop-ups at Bremerton’s Quincy Square and potential participation in a World Cup–themed rib cook-off at the Silverdale waterfront next summer.
Ownership Change
Monica’s wasn’t initially listed for sale. Through local connections, Prior was introduced to Mark and Monica Downen, and conversations began in February. By July, she had left her corporate role and was working behind the counter and in the kitchen, learning the business firsthand.
“I hadn’t worked in food service since high school,” she said. “So I spent two months behind the counter, just trying to understand everything.”
The transition has been intentionally gradual. Mark continues working in the bakery making cookies, and Monica remains involved by introducing Prior around town and connecting her with community leaders.
“They are such long-standing members of the community,” Prior said. “People are understandably nervous—are you going to change the name, the recipes? But the transition has been really good.”
Employee retention has been strong, too.
“The team has stayed,” she said. “I’ve hired a couple of people, but most of the staff is the original Monica’s team. Every single person stayed, and they’re excited. I’m really proud of that.”
From Global Tech to a Small Team
After nearly two decades inside a global corporation, Prior describes entrepreneurship as a continuous learning experience.
“I served customers at Nokia—Verizon was my single biggest customer,” she said. “Customers are customers. You treat them well, regardless of industry.”
The biggest adjustment has been scale.
“At Nokia, there were massive resources,” she said. “Here, I have 10 or 11 people on the team. You don’t have all of that support, so you have to figure things out differently.”
To do that, Prior has immersed herself in the local business ecosystem. She’s joined the Washington Hospitality Association, the local chamber of commerce, and an Old Town-focused committee.
“It’s about knowing the right people,” she said. “How they can help you—and how you can contribute to what they’re doing.”
The response has been welcoming.
“The community feels like a company,” she said. “Even if someone can’t help directly, they’ll say, ‘Have you talked to so-and-so?’ That willingness has been huge.”
Leadership, Culture, and Consistency
Behind the scenes, Prior brings a corporate discipline to a small, close-knit team.
“I’m very big on respect,” she said. “I’ll respect you, treat you like an adult, and I expect that in return.”
She’s also transparent about the numbers.
“I share the financials with the team,” she said. “I tell them where we need to improve and ask for ideas. I’m even willing to give bonuses for ideas that save money or improve the experience.”
She doesn’t shy away from difficult decisions.
“I don’t tolerate laziness or lack of contribution,” she said. “I’ve had to make hard decisions, and I’ll continue to do so.”
External pressures remain constant: rising food costs, minimum wage increases, and competition.
“Cost pressure is the number one challenge,” she said. “Food is expensive, there’s waste, and competition is always there.”
In the kitchen, Prior is hyper-focused on consistency.
“Lack of consistency will kill a business,” she said. “I taste everything. I want to know what it’s like, and I give feedback.”
At the same time, she encourages creativity.
“I asked the cooks and bakers to bring me their ideas,” she said. “Let’s try it and see what the feedback is. It gives them a creative outlet.”
Embracing Old Town’s Next Chapter
As Silverdale’s Old Town waterfront looks toward revitalization, Prior hopes Old Town Kitchen will grow alongside it.
“I want to embrace the community,” she said. “I want to share things with the community and have that energy come back. I know that takes time, but I’m excited to work toward it.”
With a new name, refreshed space, and evolving menu on the horizon, she hopes longtime regulars and new visitors alike will keep walking through the door.
“I hope people like what we’re doing and keep coming back,” she said. “And that new people come in to try it. Come on in.”
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