POULSBO — For years Doug Morse saw something missing in the hodgepodge of retailers, restauranteers and professional services of Little Norway’s historic downtown.

Finally in January, Morse filled that perceived void when Ya Betcha Korner Cafe opened its doors.

“I wanted to do something with a Viking theme and I had an idea, but I needed a cook that could bring my idea to life,” Morse said as he sat with the cafe’s head cook Jim Suchanek.

Poulsbo lacked a good burger house with juicy burgers topped with the works, and downtown also didn’t have many full breakfast places either, Morse said.

However, before that idea could become a reality, Morse said he had to find just the right cook.

“I had interviewed several other cooks and then Jim came in and he went back to the grill and had what I wanted,” Morse said. “He did what the other applicants wouldn’t do.”

What Suchanek delivered that day has become the Viking Burger, which is loaded with peppers, onions and the restaurant’s special sauce.

“We also have a Viking Dog, which is a footlong, eight-ounce hot dog,” Suchanek added.

Unlike other burger places, which often rely on frozen preformed patties, all of Ya Betcha’s burgers are handpressed every day, which gives them the old-fashioned flavor that others lack, Morse said.

“I wanted to return to the way burgers used to be, and I think we’ve been able to do that,” he said.

While Ya Betcha boasts being the home of the Viking Burger, its all-day breakfast offerings come up just as big.

“We had to break our breakfast menu into pieces because people were telling us they were getting too much food and couldn’t eat it all,” Morse said.

Now customers can put their own breakfasts together off of the menu which has everything from eggs to bacon, sausage to hashbrowns and pancakes, he said.

“It’s a good breakfast and it’s the kind of breakfast your grandmother would cook for you,” he said. “People are going to get what they paid for.”

Morse’s partnership with Suchanek has led to an ever-evolving menu and both guarantee customer satisfaction.

“If it’s not on our menu and we have it here, we’ll make it as long we have it available,” Suchanek said.

One thing Morse has allowed him to do is to put his personal touch on the menu and from that creative freedom has come the Nomad Beef Dip and two special soups, which have developed a regular following.

“People come here just for the soup,” he said. “Doug’s given me a lot of freedom and I really appreciate that.

Phone-in and take-out orders are also available, Suchanek said.

With plans for extended hours well underway, both Morse and Suchanek have one guarantee for customers when they leave: “You’ll walk out the door full.”