Owners of Tri-Cities restaurant to open burger takeout window and an Italian cafeteria
The couple who opened Ciao Trattoria in downtown Pasco two years ago is adding two new restaurants inspired in part by their recent tour of Italy.
Susanne and Jessie Ayala opened Ciao Trattoria, 112 N. Fourth Ave., and also operate Ciao Wagon and a catering business.
Their new offerings will include a hamburger restaurant and an Italian-themed cafeteria that will cater to lunch during the day and wine lovers in the evening.
Pasco Hamburger Company will dish up chef-inspired hamburgers from the walk-up window at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen.
Imbibe, an Italian-style cafeteria-and-wine bar, is coming to a nearby storefront this summer.
To top off their season of change, the Ayalas are simplifying their menu by incorporating taxes and tips in the prices customers see.
The Ayalas say they were inspired by the microrestaurants and uncomplicated menus they visited during their self-guided tour, which took them from Rome to Florence to Venice.
Pasco Hamburger Co.
Pasco Hamburger Co. is waiting for final approval from the Benton Franklin Health District to open at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen, 110 S. Fourth Ave. The kitchen is next to the newly renovated Pasco Farmers Market and just a few steps south of Ciao Trattoria.
Hours will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Pasco Hamburger is taking over the walk-up window spot formerly occupied by Brother’s Cheese Steaks after it moved to 8524 W. Gage Blvd. in Kennewick last year.
The menu includes burgers served on Tuscan buns and with fries.
Offerings include the Classic Pasco (one-third pound patty), Double Trouble (two quarter-pound patties), the Chef’s Special (created from a rotating menu created by Chef Jessie Ayala), the Cluck Yeah! (marinated and grilled chicken breast) and the Shroom Supreme (grilled portabello mushroom with red onion).
Also on the menu will be alder-wood smoked chicken served with sweet siracha, garlic parmesan or BBQ sauce.
Familiar faces
The Ayalas are already well known at Pasco Specialty Kitchen, which leases commercial kitchen space to food-related startups. It is operated by the Downtown Pasco Development Authority (DPDA) as part of its economic development mission.
Ciao Trattoria is a client. Jessie Ayala does much of the cooking there. He uses Ciao Trattoria’s small kitchen to finish dishes before they are served to diners in the small storefront restaurant.
Susanne Ayala, a member of the DPDA board, said the specialty kitchen is working through the issues associated with past management. It is a good place to operate a business and to start one, she said.
Its walk-up window lets the Ciao brand profit from the foot traffic at the farmers market.
Market days are slow in their restaurant on the next block since farmers market customers aren’t typically looking for a sit-down meal.
But Pasco Specialty Kitchen and its window are part of the market’s culture. Prior tenants sold cheese steaks, tamales and more there.
As planned, Pasco Hamburger also will move into Osprey Pointe when JMS Development and the Port of Pasco complete the first phase of a long-planned mixed development on the east Pasco waterfront on the Columbia River. The Ayalas committed to siting a restaurant there when it the project comes together.
Osprey Point has taken longer to get off the ground than expected.
The Ayalas said they remain enthusiastic and will move when its ready. Pasco Hamburger will expand to include a whiskey bar when the time comes.
Imbibe
In the interim, they aren’t waiting for Osprey Point to build the Ciao brand.
Imbibe, tagline “Food, Drink, Culture,” opens in late summer two doors south of Ciao Trattoria, at North Fourth Avenue and West Lewis Street.
The Italian-style cafeteria, inspired by their March travels, will offer pre-prepared meals heated in the restaurant.
Hours will be 7 a.m.-2 p.m., weekdays. Imbibe will transform into a wine bar and lounge in the evening with an appetizer menu. Visitors will be able to order from both Ciao Trattoria and Pasco Hamburger.
“There’s no variety in downtown Pasco,” Susanne Ayala explained. “We’ve always known there was untapped potential in downtown Pasco.”
Taxes and tips
Finally, Ciao Trattoria diners will notice a big change on their bills beginning April 25: Menu prices will include both sales tax and the cost of service.
The Ayalas believe they are among the first local restaurants to attempt to eliminate tips. The price on the menu is the price customers will pay, Susanne Ayala said.
They move was inspired by their experience dining in Italy, where the menu price was the price. They’d been planning to raise Ciao prices for inflation and rising costs. The time was right to rethink how prices are presented to customers.
They decided to embrace the no-add-ons model. Staff are getting “significant” pay increases to account for what they earned under the traditional tipping model.
The price structure incorporates sales taxes, as well as the cost of paying staff.
“We need to pay our staff a living wage and just include that in the price,” she said. “It’s actually viable.”
There will be no “tip” line on bills, she added. Jessie Ayala previously worked at a Seattle restaurant that went tip-free, but retained the tip line. That confused customers and didn’t succeed.
Diners may leave tips on the table if they wish, but it won’t be expected or encouraged.
Follow Ciao Trattoria on Facebook and at eatciao.com.
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM.