Beloved Tri-Cities Chinese restaurant could be reopening + What’s replacing 2 closed Richland bars?

Longtime diners were devastated when the China Cafe in Kennewick closed in late 2021, after more than 40 years in business.

After a year of hard work though, the Tam family looks to be ready to reopen in a new location.

A new sign recently went up in the Marineland Plaza shopping center for China Cafe Express. The new restaurant will be about 2,200 square feet, with room inside for about 30 diners, according to building permits filed with the city of Kennewick.

They’re on the Edison Street side of the shopping center in the old home of Lee Alternative Health, at 201 N. Edison St., Ste 236.

There’s no estimated opening date just yet, but a health inspection is pending.

Their old home at 131 N. Ely St. was demolished last fall to make room for a new Graze drive-thru sandwich shop.

New Richland bars

The former homes of two other longtime establishments in Richland also will be coming back to life under new owners.

The Towne Crier is being revitalized under the name Daisy Ranch Saloon. A liquor permit was filed for near the end of the year, indicating an opening could be close.

The Towne Crier closed after 50 years in business in November 2021. It was one of the anchor tenants of the Uptown Shopping Center at 1319 George Washington Way.

It’s the second revitalization of a historic Uptown Shopping Center property this year. Ray’s Golden Lion is also being revived, with new owners hoping to reignite the magic. They’re aiming for a summer opening.

▪ The restaurant at the Riverfront Hotel also is bouncing back.

It’s being relaunched with new owners as Salud Bar and Kitchen. They have a health inspection pending, indicating an opening in the near future.

The Riverfront Hotel is at 50 Comstock Street and has a great view of the Columbia River. It’s situated just off of George Washington Way by car and on the trail between Columbia Point Marina Park and Howard Amon Park by foot.

Pet Store

Workers are making progress on a new Kennewick pet store.

Pets Supplies Plus now has temporary signing up in the Kennewick Plaza Shopping Center. It will be coming in at the old Goodwill store, near Big Lots.

The pet store will be about 7,500 square feet with a grooming salon and a public “pet wash” station.

Some locations also have space for pet adoptions.

Pet Supplies Plus is a Michigan-based company, with more than 560 locations nationwide. The Tri-Cities location will be one of the first in Washington outside the Seattle area.

Potato Barns

Lamb Weston is set to spend millions to expand potato storage at its Richland facility.

The $7 million project will see four pre-engineered metal buildings constructed, totaling 98,000 square feet for potato storage.

Three existing structures were set to be demolished on the 6-acre site when the environmental impact report was filed with the state last year.

The initial estimate was that the project would take about six months to complete.

In 2017 Lamb Weston doubled its Richland footprint with a $200 million investment.

The plant now employs about 600 people and processes 600 million pounds of frozen french fries each year, according to the company.

The company has two other plants in Pasco and offices in Kennewick and Richland.