t Local

business owner giving customers a break.

With commuters feeling record-breaking pain at the pump, Uptown Mike’s N.Y. Hot Dogs with Attitude owner Mike Lipson is ensuring they fill up without busting the bank.

Starting at 5 a.m. Tuesday, ferry commuters, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers and anyone else looking for a “good, honest cup of coffee” can head down to the Bremerton Boardwalk and do just that.

“We’re offering a good cup of coffee for a quarter,” Lipson said. “For $3.50 you can get an egg, bacon and cheese bagel and a cup of coffee.”

Coffee is free with the purchase of any bagel, and all of the food will be made to order in keeping with the high standards customers have come to expect, he said.

“We’ll be making fresh cream cheeses every morning, including veggie dip, and we’ll be adding flavors along the way,” he said.

With a large number of commuters heading to Seattle on the 6:20 a.m. ferry, Lipson said he aims to give them an affordable breakfast that won’t pinch their pocketbooks.

“People are already paying too much at the pump and they don’t need to pay $3 or $4 for a cup of coffee,” he said.

Instead of frilly, foamy designer coffees, Uptown Mike’s coffee will be a different cup of joe, he said.

“It’s a good honest cup of coffee New York style with no frills,” he said. “Just straight coffee.”

Although the winter season wasn’t the easiest for the eatery, Lipson said Bremerton has been good to him and the restaurant has developed a strong loyal following.

“Bremerton’s been good to us, and this a way to give something back to the community,” he said.