Country Gentleman in Kennewick becomes CG Public House

A Kennewick icon has a new name and a new look.

After a two-week closure, the former Country Gentleman Restaurant reopened this month as CG Public House. The changes extend to a remodel and a new menu that emphasizes its roots with a side of Southern comfort.

The shift is the latest evolution for the family owned restaurant as ownership shifts to the third generation.

Founders Mabel and Chuck Wyatt established the business in 1979 as Wyatt’s Pancake Corral, and it has been run since 1996 by their daughter and her husband, Shirley and Steve Simmons. Now, they are preparing to sell it to son Kyle.

Steve Simmons largely stepped away last fall when he challenged Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, for his seat in the Washington Legislature. Haler won re-election and Simmons is focused on community work. Shirley Simmons said she’ll continue to work in CB Public House’s catering business for another five or so years.

Kyle, who earned a degree in hospitality from Washington State University and worked outside the family business before returning, will buy the business from his parents under a traditional buy-sell agreement.

Shirley Simmons said it’s not the first time the family has retooled its restaurant. The shift from Pancake Corral to Country Gentleman in 1984 was later followed by the move to its current spot at 9221 W. Clearwater Ave.

She said it was time for a forward-looking brand. Consultants counseled that “Country” and “Gentleman” conjured up the wrong image for a family restaurant.

The new name and decor give it a more contemporary feel, she said.

The remodel includes wood flooring and an edgy urban design that includes a black ceiling. The new decor highlights the wine-producing regions of Eastern Washington, local photography and street-style signs that point out the distance to regional destinations near (Hanford’s gravitational wave observatory and the N Reactor) and far (Portland and Seattle).

There are also more taps dedicated to local beers and craft cocktails.

Shirley Simmons said the menu features the restaurant’s old staples and a slew of new ones with a southern flair: grits, chicken waffles, hush puppies and a fried green tomato BLT.

The relaunch also marks a return to CG’s roots, when everything was prepared from scratch. Throughout the years, it adapted to the convenience of some prepared items.

Shirley Simmons said the aim is a comfortable setting you might find in larger cities.

“It’s sort of the way when you go to Portland and Seattle. A lot of the restaurants serve comfort, urban kinds of food,” she said.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Country Gentleman in Kennewick becomes CG Public House."