Enjoy The Vue

BELLEVUE — Enjoy Bellevue's "vue" for any special occasion. The Vue Banquet and Event Center hosted its first event in late 2021. The Vue, 600 Southwest St., in Bellevue, is a banquet and event center with several rental spaces for private events, such as weddings, and also hosts ticketed functions like seafood boils, comedy nights and concerts. Owner Tom Schwan said he started the barbecue business with his father, and he always wanted it to be a family business. Tom and his wife, Lavin, opened a restaurant in Bellevue for Bone Boys BBQ & Catering from March 2016 until April 2018, but the passion for a catering business was stronger than the restaurant. Effectively, The Vue brings Bone Boys in the fold for this new business. Bone Boy's BBQ & Catering has been serving the area since 2012. The couple still has the facility but wanted to focus more on the catering aspect of the business. Tom and Lavin's daughter, Jenna Molyet, also helps with the business. "The restaurant had so many positives: We got our food in front of a lot of people. Our catering really took off," Tom said. "When COVID hit, we gave back to a lot of essential services. We did family meals for hospitals and the fire and police departments." Tom said he and Lavin believed like their catering business lacked something: a venue. "It seemed like we were missing that segment of entertainment and having a venue," he said. "It's like in sports: Now we're having home games instead of doing all away games. The community has been so supportive." Lavin said they wanted to bring a venue to the area where anyone can go for a fun evening. "One thing that is so important, to us, is providing a great atmosphere for people to come in and enjoy truly. We do have servant's hearts, and we want people to come in and just enjoy the environment and feel welcomed," Lavin said. "We hear all the time how much Bellevue needed something like this. The community has been so incredibly supportive and gracious with us." On March 17, The Vue is celebrating St. Patrick's Day and March Madness from noon to 9 p.m. The event is open to the public, featuring made-to-order food and bar games. "We wanted to be a place where people can go to see a show or band, whatever it may be," Tom said. "We just want to be that piece for the community that they can count on to provide have good entertainment, good food and a great place to hang out." While the event center has given the catering business a venue, Bone Boys is still offering catering events outside of The Vue. "Our catering since opening has really taken off even more than before," Molyet said. Tom and Lavin are also planning The Vue Fest in July, a two-day community event. Lavin said they are planning to have bands playing, bouncy houses for children, food, cornhole tournaments and vendors. "We want to make it a really fun community event," she said. "A big part of business in the summer will be our outdoor pavilion. It'll be a nice area where people can come and relax after work for a drink and food."