Beth's Cafe on Halloween night

Posted by Bettina Hansen

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cook manager Alex Larson checks order tickets to make sure they're right while wearing a dress for Halloween during the graveyard shift at Beth's Cafe, a 24-hour diner established in 1954 on Aurora near Green Lake in Seattle.

For weeks I knew that I'd have to shoot something Halloween night, and had been wracking my brain to come up with an idea that didn't involve the same old trick-or-treating. It's cute, but we always shoot multiple events like it, and it's already old by the next day. The morning of October 31st came around and I still wasn't fully committed to an idea. While on my jog that day I started noticing all of the costumed adults and kids in the windows of my neighborhood shops and cafe's. A diner, post Halloween, I thought. And then I knew it had to be Beth's Cafe after midnight.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Mark Lawrence, front, and Michael Kong, dressed as Dora the Explorer in a purple wig, walk into Beth's Cafe for a midnight snack with friends after hanging out in Capitol Hill for Halloween.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Andy Slaght carries a stack of dishes to the line while working the utility shift, washing dishes, bussing tables and generally helping out behind the scenes, in a mask and hoodie on Halloween at Beth's Cafe.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cook Manager Alex Larson breaks eggs for an omelette with dozens for backup at Beth's Cafe on a busy graveyard shift. Beth's Cafe is famous for its omelettes and for being open 24-hours; it sees a lot of its business late at night.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Beth's Cafe is famous for diner food, especially their 12-egg omelette.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Beth's Cafe server Kris Vedo hands a plate of food to Emerald McAmis, dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, on Halloween night. McAmis was eating with friends Phillip Crowder, left, Michael Horton, and Kari Hines.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Crayon Drawings plaster the walls at Beth's Cafe, established in 1954.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Abier Sikta, left and Martin Vallen, right, walk into Beth's Cafe on Halloween night. " I'm just a man, looking for love in the world, and I managed to find Catwoman," said Vallen, describing his costume.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Lindsay Bloom, left, of Seattle and Shawna Schofield, right, of Bremerton, dressed as Zombies, have a laugh when their food comes at Beth's Cafe. "Dead and Red" is what Bloom called her costume, and exclaimed "more red!" as she squirted ketchup all over her hash browns.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Danielle Shoemake, left, dressed as Princess Leia, and Jonathon Torone, right, dressed as Han Solo, find that they are better at using light sabers than fake guns to play Big Game Hunter in the arcade room at Beth's Cafe on Halloween.

BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jessica Price, dressed as a unicorn princess without a horn, walks into the back room at Beth's Cafe on Halloween night.

Special thanks to the crew there for letting me get in your way while slinging omelettes in the late night hours. Check out the photo gallery for more pictures.

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Beth's Cafe on Halloween night