Two years in the making, Gateway Gas and Deli opened its doors on Snoqualmie Ridge last Thursday, July 17. The station, once home to a real estate office, has a ski lodge feel, complete with a free- standing fireplace, which owners Brad and Jennifer Oberlander plan to fire up in the winter.

The station is one of the few local businesses where drivers can fill up their tanks with biodiesel and E85, a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gas.

It’s easier for new gas stations to offer alternative fuel choices, because the separate tanks can be installed during the construction process, Brad Oberlander said. Already -existing stations are looking at a cost of $100,000 or more to add alternative fuel to their offerings.

The station plans to keep gas and food prices as low as possible, in hopes that their lower prices will instigate more business, Oberlander said.

In addition to gasoline, the station serves a variety of food and beverage options to satiate their customers. Lunch and dinner options include sandwiches, pizza, and fried chicken. Breakfast items such as cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos and biscuits and gravy are also available. Among the 10 deli employees are the Oberlanders’ sons, Tyler, 11, and Cody, 15. Most of the others are local high-schoolers.

Snoqualmie Valley Hospital employee Charlie Fries filled her gas tank at the new Shell station.

“I like that it blends in with the houses,” she said.