Amy Edelen: The Dirt: Wienerschnitzel franchisee shares update for planned restaurant in north Spokane

Jul. 16—A franchisee of fast-casual hot dog chain Wienerschnitzel is moving forward with plans to open a location in north Spokane.

Brian Harshbarger and his father, Donald, initially announced plans in November to open Wienerschnitzel at 10220 N. Newport Highway in mid-2022.

The two business owners, however, faced unexpected building-design revisions and restaurant equipment delays, Brian Harshbarger said.

"We are hoping it will be only another two to three months until we open," Harshbarger said.

Harshbarger resubmitted a building permit application to the city last week for design revisions to the 1,200-square-foot restaurant space formerly occupied by Papa John's Pizza.

The restaurant's exact opening date is dependent upon equipment installation as well as design review and permit approval by the city, he said.

While embarking on renovations, the Harshbargers found they needed to extend additional power to the building and invest in a dedicated outdoor air system to ensure proper ventilation for the restaurant.

They also encountered setbacks with orders for an ice cream machine, fryers and a commercial bun steamer, all of which were delayed by several months, Harshbarger said.

Spokane-based Indigo Diggs Architecture is the project architect. A contractor was not specified on the application.

Harshbarger said he appreciates the community's enthusiasm and patience for Wienerschitzel's arrival in Spokane.

"It has been a rocky road. We figured we would order some equipment and do some construction," Harshbarger said. "We had no idea of the amount of work involved in this."

Wienerschnitzel in north Spokane would mark the first location in the region for the restaurant chain headquartered in Newport Beach, California.

Wienerschnitzel, which describes itself as the "world's largest hot dog chain," was founded in 1961 by John Galardi, who opened the restaurant's first location at 900 W. Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington, California.

That location is still in operation and was designated a historic-cultural landmark in 2013 by the city of Los Angeles.

Wienerschnitzel's menu includes hot dogs, chili cheeseburgers, corn dogs, sandwiches, ice cream and shakes.

Wienerschnitzel has more than 330 restaurants in 10 states with two locations in Western Washington, according to its website.

Former Luigi's building renovation

A building in downtown Spokane formerly occupied by Luigi's Italian Restaurant is undergoing renovations on its upper floors to make way for apartments.

Spokane-based ZBA Architecture filed a permit application on behalf of property owner Schmidt 245 Main LLC to change the use of the building's second and third floors from office space to residential use at 245 W. Main Ave.

Schmidt 245 Main LLC is a company registered to Joseph and Cindy Schmidt, both of whom were not immediately available for comment on the proposed apartment project.

The application indicates plans for 12 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units spanning a total of 12,970 square feet on the building's two floors.

The building's ground floor will remain commercial space, although the application did not specify potential tenants.

Efforts to reach Luigi's owners Martin and Jennifer Hogberg for comment were unsuccessful Friday.

Seattle-based Graham Construction & Management is the project contractor.

Value Village

coming to Wellesley

Bellevue-based Savers Inc. is planning to open a Value Village thrift store in a building once home to Hastings Books Music & Videos on Wellesley Avenue.

Rocklin, California-based PM Design Group, Inc. filed a building permit application with the city to renovate the 38,400-square-foot building at 1704 W. Wellesley Avenue.

The estimated cost of renovations is $875,000, according to the application.

PM Design Group is the project architect.

Value Village is a thrift store chain that sells secondhand clothing, footwear, furniture, books and household items.

It has more than 300 stores in the U.S., Canada and Australia with two locations in the Spokane area, according to the retailer's website.