Favorite high school haunt Taco John’s closing after 40 years + 2 more business closings

Wendy Culverwell
·4 min read

Taco John’s, the fast food restaurant that has served tacos, quesadillas, burritos and potato oles from its spot near Kennewick High School for more than 40 years, will close at the end of the month.

The Kennewick restaurant is a franchise of Wyoming-based Taco John’s International.

Officials could not be reached about the closure but a local employee confirmed the restaurant is vacating its leased quarters at 701 W. Vineyard Drive, at South Garfield.

Taco John’s will close by the end of August, according to a notice offering the property for lease on LoopNet, a commercial listing service.

Taco John’s has been a staple of the neighborhood since the building was built in 1981. A Vancouver, Wash.-based owner is looking for a new tenant to take over, with asking rent of $6,750 per month.

Lance Bacon of Kiemle Hagood is the listing agent.

He expects the space to be quickly released to another restaurant.

Taco John’s is closing in August after 40 years at 701 W. Vineyard Drive, near Kennewick High School.
Taco John’s is closing in August after 40 years at 701 W. Vineyard Drive, near Kennewick High School.

The location is close to downtown Kennewick, on a corner used by about 12,000 vehicles per day.

There are relatively few other fast food options in that area which includes Kennewick High, St. Joseph Catholic Church and School, the Kennewick School District headquarters and businesses such as Big 5 Sporting Goods and SpareTime Lanes & Arcade.

Cascade building burns, again

The Cascade building, a historic structure in the heart of downtown Kennewick, caught fire again Aug. 4, about 18 months to the day after an earlier blaze left it a charred husk and forced out neighboring businesses.

Fortunately, the latest fire isn’t as damaging as the first and neighbors report they were spared the water and smoke damage of the first fire.

Kagen Cox, owner of Kagen Coffee & Crepes, said his plans to open a second location, at 308 W. Kennewick Ave., are unaffected by a recent fire at the Cascade building next door.
Kagen Cox, owner of Kagen Coffee & Crepes, said his plans to open a second location, at 308 W. Kennewick Ave., are unaffected by a recent fire at the Cascade building next door.

Kagen Cox, of Kagen Coffee & Crepes, said his efforts to open a new edition of his Richland restaurant in downtown Kennewick were “unaffected” by the fire next door.

Cox is taking over the spot formerly occupied by Foodies Brick & Mortar and recently painted his logo in the window.

Foodies was driven out by the fire and moved to Columbia Park on the Kennewick waterfront.

Desert Gem & Mineral, another neighbor, was forced to rebuild after the first blaze. Owner Dennis Schoeneberg said he had a bad case of deja vu when he arrived at work at 6:30 a.m. Sunday to find firetrucks parked outside his business once again.

Dennis Schoeneberg of Desert Gem & Appraisal, said his downtown Kennewick business suffered only minor damage after a recent fire at the adjacent Cascade Building. Desert Gem had to be rebuilt after an earlier, devastating fire in the same building in February 2022.
Dennis Schoeneberg of Desert Gem & Appraisal, said his downtown Kennewick business suffered only minor damage after a recent fire at the adjacent Cascade Building. Desert Gem had to be rebuilt after an earlier, devastating fire in the same building in February 2022.

The first time around, he was alerted when firefighters broke through his front door. That didn’t happen this time, so he was caught by surprise when he pulled up.

Schoeneberg said the damage was minimal, with some ceiling tiles wrecked by water and a roof needing repair. He planned to be back in business Tuesday.

As a neighbor, Scoheneberg is eager to see the Cascade building restored and reoccupied with tenants on the second floor.

Repair work noticeably picked up in the month before the new blaze, which Kennewick fire officials deemed suspicious after initial reports that someone forced their way inside the building before the fire broke out.

The Little Plant Shop

The Little Plant Shop has closed its original Pasco location, 3315 W. Court St., Ste. 100, according to a Facebook post. The shop is keeping its store at 709 The Parkway in Richland.

Owner Jose Chavez opened the Pasco shop in 2021 and followed that up with the Richland location in early 2023.

The Little Plant Shop is a plant nursery offering houseplants, accessories and classes on topics ranging from re-potting to making Japanese moss balls.

Follow The Little Plant Shop at LittlePlantShopTC.com

Real Deals closing

Mother-daughter entrepreneurs Vikki Butler and Brittini Van Heel are closing their Richland boutique at 1364 Jadwin Ave. in the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland.

Butler and Van Heel, have owned Real Deals since 2017, put the shop up for sale in June as Butler made plans to retire.

To date, no buyer has materialized. Real Deals has been holding an ongoing liquidation sale for the past several months.

It is currently expected to close at the end of August, according to the Uptown Shopping Center Facebook page.

The shop is accepting gift cards. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Go to realdeals.net/richland

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