Oregon coffee chain coming to Tri-Cities. And 2 new restaurants opening
A Southern Oregon-born coffee chain is bringing its spin on java to the Tri-Cities.
Franchise owners Brandon and Kenda Gadish of Kennewick started their conversion of a former Dutch Bros. outlet to the Human Bean Tri-Cities.
“It’s going through a whole new transformation,” Kenda Gadish told the Herald.
Dutch Bros. — also a originally from Southern Oregon — was at that West Clearwater Avenue location for 10 years before closing at the end of 2017 to relocate to a bigger lot down the street.
The Gadishes stopped at Human Bean shops many times when visiting family out of state and decided to open their own shop back home.
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The Human Bean started in Ashland, Ore., in 1998. The chain spread throughout Southern Oregon, then the rest of the state and has expanded across the West but also in a few other states such as Texas, Nevada, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri.
The Kennewick location at 4305 W. Clearwater Ave. will be the fifth Human Bean shop in Washington state. The closest other locations are in Walla Walla and Yakima.
Gadish said they will reconfigure the entire lot and renovating the existing building to include a walk-up and drive-thru.
“We will have parking and allow a line of cars without encroaching on our neighbors,” Gadish said.
Gadish says there are many decisions and details still to be determined — such as the food menu offerings and what local bakery they will be working with.
However, the drink menu will remain steadfast to the brand with not only coffee, but also protein drinks, smoothies and frozen hot chocolate — a favorite for kids, Gadish said.
2 new Indian restaurants
▪ Masala Indian Express of Kennewick is opening its second location Sept. 19. It will take over the site of the permanently closed Indian Cuisine Express at 8524 W. Gage Blvd. across from Costco.
Indian Cuisine Express closed because of the COVID pandemic and never reopened.
Masala’s first Kennewick location is at 3321 W. Kennewick Ave. and is open for lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. daily.
The Masala Indian Express menu features Biryani — Basmati rice cooked with marinated meat and spices, Tandoori dishes from a Tandoor oven, Madras specials originating in Southern India such as dosa (a filled rice pancake) and idly — also spelled idli — (a steamed savory rice cake).
Masala also offers multiple vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. For full menu, go to masala-indiancuisine.com.
Masala express will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner daily. During pandemic restrictions, only takeout orders are being taken and no indoor dining will be allowed.
For more information, call 509-737-9995 or email masalaindianexpress@gmail.com.
▪ Maharaja Taste of India also is opening its doors Sept. 19 after several delays over permits.
The owners of Walla Walla Indian Cuisine have brought their popular fare to the former Famous Dave’s restaurant location behind Columbia Center mall.
Along with a full menu, a buffet will be offered with employees dishing up customer selections — no self-service will be allowed. Guests can dine at their limited patio seating but no indoor dining is offered yet.
Appetizer menu selections include a large number of vegetarian options such as samosas, pakora and kathi rolls.
Among meal choices you will find traditional kebab (meat and vegetables on a stick), tandoori chicken (cooked in a clay oven) and the rice dish biryani, as well as lamb, goat and chicken dishes. And Maharaja has nearly a dozen naan flavors.
The restaurant at 8110 W. Gage Blvd will be open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations can by made by calling 509-713-1313 or by emailing res@maharajatasteofindia.com.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Allison Stormo at astormo@tricityherald.com.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.