Fresh Out of the Box opens in Kennewick Wednesday

With its pineapple pulled pork tacos and other Asian fusion offerings, Fresh Out of the Box has emerged as one of the region’s popular mobile food vendors. As of Wednesday, the business helmed by Jenny and Jimmy Nguyen is an official restaurant.

Fresh Out of the Box opens its much-anticipated brick-and-mortar location at 10:30 a.m. at 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 102.

Fresh Out of the Box will initially be open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and will consider adding weekend hours later. Jenny Nguyen said it open with the same menu it uses in the food truck, but could expand.

The truck will fulfill its commitments this fall. The Nguyens will evaluate if they want to continue to operate the mobile edition next year.

Fresh Out of the Box’s creative food pairings have made it a reliable hit at stops such as Pasco’s Food Truck Friday, Amazon, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and special events. Last week, it pulled up to a Richland High School class reunion.

The Nguyens pivoted to a more traditional business at the suggestion of friends. They took out a small commercial loan to outfit their new space.

While this week’s opening is cast as a soft launch (the formal grand opening will be in late September), Jenny Nguyen said the larger kitchen and staff are prepared.

“No more running out of egg rolls,” she said, referring to the limitations on a mobile business. “We’ll be ready.”

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This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Fresh Out of the Box opens in Kennewick Wednesday."