Lena Watson loves the Reuben sandwiches.

So much so, Waston jokes, that she may have to stop ordering them at the Lone Rock Grocery and Deli in Seabeck because too much rye bread and corned beef is unhealthy.

“I don’t even want to admit how much I eat there,” said Watson, of Seabeck.

The freshly made sandwiches are one reason Watson keeps returning to the deli, which opened in 2009. She also appreciates how owners Bill and Joey Evalt go out of their way to make their customers feel at home.

Watson, who come into the store at least once a week, spends more money than she otherwise would because the owners remembered her name when she returned after her first-ever visit.

Her 17-year-old son enjoys the breakfast sandwiches, and her husband now refuses to buy turkey anywhere else because the Lone Rock cuts are so good.

But what Watson enjoys most is the camaraderie between customers and the intimate environment.

“I meet more of my neighbors there than I do strolling around the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s just a really friendly atmosphere.”

The Evalts opened the store after Joey Evalt decided she wanted a change from her job at Safeway, where she worked for 21 years. The couple renovated the small Lone Rock building and opened in March 2009.

Bill Evalt said business continues to increase as more people learn about the store, but it remains a small operation. There are three employees in addition to the owners and their two children.

The menu includes build-your-own-sandwiches as well as soups — chowder, vegetarian and others — and Joey Evalt cooks Friday evening specials. The Friday menu, which is $7 across the board, is different each week and features lasagna, enchiladas, spaghetti and beef stroganoff, among others.

Lone Rock also sells hunting and fishing licenses and recently began serving biscuits and gravy Saturday mornings. There are barbecues at the store on Saturday afternoons and it also sells fresh deli meat, baked bread and groceries.

“People have been driving by for the past year or so not knowing who we are or what we’re about,” Bill Evalt said. “But they’ve supported us from the get-go and are beginning to come in.”