Eat All About It: What’s a Twisted Elvis? A new Tri-City restaurant has the answer

A new Kennewick restaurant in an old location is embracing its tough history. The owners of IDK say they know how to stay in business in places where others have failed.

IDK Restaurant opened on Martin Luther King Day at 335 W. Columbia Drive in a spot that has previously housed Park Cafe, Sandstone Cafe, Magill’s and Between the Bridges Cafe, to name a few.

That history might give some entrepreneurs pause, but not owners Jose Brito and Germen Alvarez, or Melissa Brito, who is fronting the new venture on her father’s behalf.

Melissa Brito said her father opened Shooters Sports Bar in a Finley spot known for high turnover. Four years later, Shooters is going strong, she said. IDK plans to replicate that success in Kennewick.

“We’re trying to break that tradition, here,” she said. IDK leased the space in September and held its soft opening this week. They plan a grand opening once it gets a liquor license, she said.

The partners leased the space with much of the existing equipment intact. IDK is building on its history by showcasing historic photos, including some showing the entire downtown Kennewick neighborhood underwater during the infamous 1948 flooding.

Brito of Pasco said IDK is betting its future on a combination of good food and quirky recipes.

The menu is chiefly American cuisine with one-offs, including chorizo-themed breakfast dishes, deep fried macaroni balls served with Alfredo sauce and the Twisted Elvis — a burger topped with fried bananas, creamy peanut butter and chipotle sauce.

The menu also features an extensive list of salads, sandwiches and burgers, some with a spicy profile.

Brito said that despite the location’s history, she’s optimistic demand for restaurants is growing on Columbia Drive. Columbia Gardens Urban Wine & Artisan Village is opening to the east. The Port of Kennewick development is bringing two wineries to the neighborhood to start and more is planned.

Current neighbors include Hubby’s Pizza and Bad Andy’s Great Coffee. The extended neighborhood includes Dutch Bros. Coffee, Ice Harbor Brewing Co. and Chapala restaurant.

She hopes to capitalize on growing traffic volumes and the restaurant’s quirky, text-friendly name. When people want dinner but say I Don’t Know, she hopes IDK will catch their attention.

The owners invested about $30,000 in personal funds to open it. Brito said the space was well-stocked with furniture, dishware and most kitchen equipment when they signed the three-year lease.

Since it had been empty for about a year, she said regulators required some updated signs and kitchen equipment. Notably, she said, the Benton Franklin Health District required several changes and a new sink.

Brito grew up in California, but attended high school in Pasco. She credits her experience with the Pasco High School DECA Club for stirring her interest in business and entrepreneurship.

She grew up working in various family-owned eateries and is eager to put her own stamp on IDK and to expand it to other locations in the future.

“We’re planning to keep it going,” she said.

IDK serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Follow IDK on Facebook.

Dutch Bros. closes

In November, this column reported that the new Dutch Bros Coffee stand at 3918 W. Clearwater Ave. was an extension of the Grants Pass, Ore-based coffee chain. That was incorrect. The new stand, which opened in November, replaced an existing Dutch Bros. The company closed its 4305 W. Clearwater Ave. location on Dec. 31.

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This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: What’s a Twisted Elvis? A new Tri-City restaurant has the answer."