Tri-Cities’ fave sandwich joint sets opening for new drive-thru in Kennewick
Graze “A Place to Eat” opens its new Kennewick drive-thru only location on Tuesday.
Graze “A Drive-Thru” will serve drive-up customers at 131 N. Ely St. The new spot is the fifth for Walla Walla-based Graze and the third in the Tri-Cities. The other local shops are in Richland and the Columbia Center area of Kennewick.
Graze is one of the top Tri-City destinations for soup, sandwiches, hot paninis and salads, according to an unscientific poll conducted by the Tri-City Herald in June. Graze won top sandwich honors with 38% of the vote, followed by now-closed Vinny’s Bakery in Pasco and Foodies (Kennewick and Richland), both garnering 12%.
Graze’s new central Kennewick spot is the most ambitious yet for owners Rebecca and John Lastoskie. John Lastoskie said the couple long wanted to stake a spot in the area identified the space near Highway 395 as ideal.
In 2021, they paid $1.23 million for the former China Cafe, originally built in the 1950s as a Pizza Hut. (China Cafe closed in 2021 but reopened this March as China Cafe Express, 201 N. Edison St., Kennewick.)
Lastoskie said Graze draws the same customers as the area’s existing businesses, such as Gold’s Gym, REI and Starbucks.
Plans changed
The couple initially intended to renovate the old restaurant building into a sit-down restaurant. When they realized they’d have to tear down much of the building, they decided to demolish the entire structure and rebuild an all-new 1,469-square-foot location catering to drive-thru customers only.
It will serve drive-thru guests only to start and will add walk up service as well as online ordering once the staff get familiar with the new location.
The Graze business is built around a Walla Walla commissary, where it takes on the more complicated cooking tasks, including making sauces and dressings. Individual restaurants handle final assembly when customers place orders.
Investing in Tri-Cities
Graze has made a series of steps to boost its Tri-Cities business in recent years.
It moved its Richland store to 610 George Washington Way in Park Place in 2021, raising its visibility at the entrance to Howard Amon Park. That shop was previously at The Parkway
Its second store is at 8530 W. Gage Blvd., near Costco Wholesale. It has two spots in Walla Walla, including its flagship and another drive-thru restaurant.
Lastoskie said the menu is identical across all locations.
Graze is open 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Sunday.
Go to grazeplaces.com or follow Graze on Instagram or Facebook.
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