Eat All About It: Pie for breakfast? Just Joel’s has your back

A tiny restaurant space with a big presence on West Kennewick Avenue reopens next week with a new name and new owners.

Just Joel’s Cafe, led by business partners Joel Watson and Marcus Hoffman expects to open Tuesday at 1505 W. Kennewick Ave., the tiny drive-in most recently occupied by Mike’s Place. It has been a bakery, a food bank, even a barbecue restaurant in the past.

Watson is a Kennewick native who attended Kamiakin High School and long dreamed of cooking in his own restaurant. He’s teaming with Hoffman, a serial entrepreneur, to open a breakfast and lunch joint they hope will turn the old spot into a comfortable gathering place with a kitchen table vibe.

Together, they are investing $35,000 in personal funds to turn the 850-square-foot building into a 22-seat restaurant with coffee bar. When the weather improves next spring, they’ll extend the seating to the covered drive-in area.

Just Joel’s will serve breakfast, lunch and scratch-cooked pie all day, every day.

The comfort vibe extends to the menu, which leans toward traditional breakfast dishes and a lunch menu of burgers, sandwiches and salads.

For kids, Watson borrowed from a meme that once made him laugh. Kid offerings include the “I Don’t Know,” which is a chicken strip, and fries, the “I’m Not Hungry,” which is a corn dog, and the “I Don’t Want That,” which is a piece of cod and fries.

Watson was born in Lewiston but moved to the Tri-Cities as a child. He spent an aimless youth and early adulthood getting into trouble.

At 30, he decided to go straight and turn around. Now 39, he said he’s been in recovery for nearly a decade and is fulfilling a childhood dream of being a cook like his father. A teardrop tattoo below his left eye is a reminder of the past, but he said he’s elected to keep it as a part of his personal story.

As he embarked on his first restaurant position, Watson recalls his father counseled against it, deriding it as a dead-end job.

He half complied, working as a dishwasher instead. When a cook didn’t show up for work, Watson stepped in and his career trajectory was set. He has cooked at Sandstone, the now-closed restaurant on Columbia Drive, and at Sterling’s, the family-owned Tri-City restaurant chain.

He is self-taught and said he loves to be creative, something he couldn’t always do when he worked for others.

Just Joel’s began to take shape three years ago when Hoffman, a friend, asked him a simple question: “What’s your dream.”

A restaurant with his name on it was Watson’s dream. Hoffman’s dream is to own a stake in five businesses. Just Joel’s is his third. He also owns a flooring business and an e-cigarette and vape supply store in Kennewick.

The duo investigated potential sites, including the former Sandstone Cafe spot.

They settled on the West Kennewick Avenue site, undaunted by its long history of different owners. Watson said there was never any question that he’d be in east Kennewick. He wanted a comfortable, casual restaurant serving a blue collar neighborhood. He lives two minutes away, in the neighborhood where he grew up.

Before it reopens, the eatery is getting a thorough cleanup and makeover. The entire interior was scrubbed and repainted. The kitchen is being restocked and equipment repaired. The massive hood, the heart of any commercial kitchen, was barely functional when the two men took over.

Hoffman said he climbed on the roof for a look. When he opened the unit up, he found the drive belt was all but disintegrated. A new belt and a good cleaning later, it works like a charm, he said. A working hood is key to venting cooking fumes and oils to keep a restaurant clean.

The red awning is now painted black and overgrown weeds have been pulled out. Inside, the colorful floor tiles are gone, replaced with a hardwood floor.

When it opens, Watson’s scratch-baked pies will take center stage.

If someone wants pie for breakfast, Watson isn’t going to say a word.

“No judgment,” is his motto.

Wendy’s celebrates National Adoption Month

Tri-City Wendy’s restaurants will dedicate 15 percent of sales between 5 and 8 p.m., Tuesday, to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in support of National Adoption Month.

The foundation helps find adoptive homes for children in foster care. There are more than 10,000 children in the Washington foster care system. More than 2,000 are eligible for adoption.

Interested in adoption? Visit the Northwest Adoption Exchange for information.

Have a dining-related story to share? Give me a ring.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: Pie for breakfast? Just Joel’s has your back."