New brewery sets opening + Restaurant to replace Shari’s + Starbucks moves and new bakery
Wheat Head Brewing Co., the stunning new brewery and event center in the Horse Heaven Hills above Kennewick, has set an opening date.
Wheat Head opens from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., New Year’s Eve.
The brewery was created by Christina “Tina” Miller Phillips and her father, Loren Miller, on the family wheat farm on Locust Grove Road.
Loren Miller, a second-generation farmer, raised wheat for 40 years before retiring in 2018.
Phillips studied art at Eastern Oregon University after graduating from Kamiakin High School. A wedding filmmaker, she created Wheat Head out of a belief the Tri-Cities needed a picture-perfect setting for special events.
The business includes a brewery, 2,500-square-foot taproom, spacious deck and hookups for food trucks. the building is designed to provide multiple backdrops for event photos and to take advantage of 360-degree views.
It’s at 92308 E. Locust Grove Road, in unincorporated Benton County. Go to wheatheadbrewing.com or follow it on Facebook at bit.ly/3tWcIHS or Instagram at bit.ly/3FXtpFH.
Shari’s reopening as Andy’s
The former Shari’s restaurant at Columbia Center will reopen next spring as Andy’s Coffee Break.
Owner Miriam Contreras Murillo is renovating the six-sided building, 1200 N. Columbia Center Blvd., into a family-oriented restaurant, according to Argonaut Investments, which owns the T.J. Maxx-anchored Columbia Square shopping center.
Argonaut has secured permits to install a new signs and said work has begun inside.
“We are very excited to welcome Andy’s Coffee Break restaurant to Columbia Square,” it said in a statement. The Andy’s team includes several people who were involved with Andy’s Coffee Break, the now-closed restaurant on Court Street in Pasco.
The Kennewick restaurant was vacated in April, when Shari’s abruptly closed after 40 years operating Columbia Center mall. Beaverton, Ore.-based Shari’s Management Corp. previously closed its Richland location as the pie-focused chain pulled out of the Tri-Cities market.
In related news, the old Shari’s in Richland’s Safeway-anchored Washington Square was demolished and replaced by a strip mall.
The north Richland Starbucks coffee shop moved into its new quarters in early December and closed its old store across the parking lot.
The move gave the store a drive-thru.
Gluten Not Included
The gluten-free bakery, Gluten Not, held a formal ribbon cutting at its new west Pasco location on Dec. 16 and is now serving empanadas, cupcakes and other items made with gluten-free flour for customers with celiac disease or other dietary restrictions.
Gluten Not Included was founded by Adriana, Cesar and Isabel Sandoval after a family member was diagnosed with celiac disease, driving the family to seek wheat-free items. The business incorporated in March 2022.
Gluten Not Included is at 6615 Chapel Hill Blvd., Suite A in Pasco.
Go to glutennotincludedllc.com
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