New owners aim to raise the profile of Richland’s hidden waterfront restaurant
A Richland restaurant with a prime waterfront location is getting a festive refresh with new owners who aim to create a warm, inviting spot known for good food and a relaxing vibe.
Salud! Bar and Kitchen within the Riverfront Hotel is now owned by Jesse Martinez and Carmel Perez. The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce plans a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m., Dec. 5, with the official grand opening Friday.
Martinez and Perez are experienced entrepreneurs with backgrounds in construction, real estate, lending and the food service industry. They bought Salud from the prior owners, who opened it as a Mexican-oriented restaurant just a year earlier.
Faced with a fresh start, their team jumped in on Nov. 1 and spent about 100 hours cleaning and repainting the restaurant and its ample kitchen.
They held a soft reopening on Nov. 2 with a simple menu of tacos, nachos and hamburgers. Martinez — the creative partner — spent much of November developing a new menu as well as a bar program heavy with craft cocktails.
The new Salud retains key elements from the original. Martinez is reviving favorites from his past venture, The Alley Public House and Brews. The Alley operated at Kennewick’s Cynergy Center until it closed in 2015 in the space now occupied by Cafe Magnolia.
Salud is holding onto its tequila bar history and expanding into new territory. Martinez favors whiskey and created a dramatic version of a smoked old fashioned for the new space. His main goal, he said, is to stand back and let the mixologists have fun and engage with customers.
The duo wants to raise Salud’s reputation for both service and the quality of its food, including ingredients. That extends to the humblest offerings on the menu, its loaded french fries. All fries are hand cut from fresh potatoes, Martinez said.
“I hate frozen fries,” he said.
Salud is reopening with limited winter hours to start — 4-10 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday and noon-midnight, Friday and Saturday. It’s closed Sunday and Monday.
But the owners expect to expand to both breakfast and lunch and to add a full week’s worth of programming. That extends to serving hotel guests.
When the weather warms up, it will raise its visibility along Riverfront Trail, which traces the Columbia River. Thousands of walkers, joggers and bicyclists pass the hotel and restaurant each day and Salud stands ready to serve them on its 40-seat patio.
The new owners also plan to capitalize on the Riverfront Hotel’s underused banquet space. The large, well-equipped kitchen can serve large events, private gatherings and restaurant guests. They hope to host weddings, birthday parties, family celebrations and more.
Martinez and Perez aim to create a comfortable gathering spot for local diners — a place to go, hang out and take in live music on occasion. It isn’t a late-night spot but includes a mix of tables and sofa seating.
Salud is part of the Riverfront Hotel (originally Shilo Inn), 50 Comstock St. Follow it on Facebook and Instagram.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 7:00 AM.