More than Just a Bite: Meet Monte Landucci

There’s something comforting about a classic American diner.

Trinkets and signs line the walls of Monte’s Just a Bite, where owner Monte Landucci has filled the small restaurant with love and appreciation for his customers.

When Landucci moved to Blaine over 12 years ago, he re-entered the restaurant scene after growing up around the industry in San Diego. While working at various joints like the former Big Al’s Diner, Landucci made a connection to Tony Andrews, the former owner of Tony’s Just a Bite.

When Andrews was ready to leave the location on Peace Portal Drive, Landucci took over as the owner on November 1, 2021.

“I was good at what I did. I could run a kitchen like a mad man but then this offer came along,” Landucci said. “He and I had been in negotiation for about four and a half months or so before I finally said OK let’s do it.”

Before moving to Blaine, Landucci was a utility worker in Arizona. His mother moved up to the area in her waning years, so Landucci followed her in the summer of 2012. His mother passed away a year later.

“I didn’t plan on staying around,” Landucci said. “I went to Germany for a few years and then came back out here and … I got into the restaurant industry again.”

Today, Landucci realizes the restaurant business is not one you enter to make money. The National Restaurant Association reported that 38 percent of the association’s restaurant operators were not profitable in 2024.

But money is not the only reward of owning a restaurant.

“We have the best people,” Landucci said. “These people come in here and they care.”

Catering to everyone who walks through his door has been one of Landucci’s biggest focuses. For a while, the restaurant only accepted cash payments, but to better serve his customers from north of the border, he started accepting more forms of payment.

“I wanted to make it more feasible for them,” Landucci said.

Now, three years after taking over the location, Landucci and his staff have practiced their goals of running a successful restaurant.

“It’s not about me making money or them having a job. It’s about, ‘Are we doing a good job?’” Landucci said. “Your customers are number one, always number one. I mean even Gordon Ramsay would tell you that.”

Along with their friendly customer service, the menu features all-American breakfast items like omelets and waffles.

Restaurant recommendation: A dish that Landucci wants everyone to try at Monte’s Just a Bite is the corned beef hash, made in-house.

This article is part of a new series in The Northern Light highlighting Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants.

Correction:  A photo caption was updated on January 23 to correct a title and name spelling. We regret the errors.