A taste of the South now at the Richland Airport

There’s a new restaurant at the Richland Airport, and its owners are hoping customers new and old will be flying in to dine with them.

Ann’s Best Creole & Soul Food Cafe, on the ground floor of the tower building at 1901 Terminal Drive, will have its grand opening at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 3, but the restaurant has been open for a few weeks already, serving customers using the airport and working in the nearby industrial area.

The breakfast and lunch menu is Southern- and creole-inspired, such as wings-n-waffles, buttermilk biscuits with creole sausage gravy, po’ boy sandwiches and liver and grits. Wings and burgers with a southern take are also offered.

“I wanted to bring this kind of food to the Northwest,” said Ann Lockhart, the restaurant’s general manager.

The po’ boys are particularly popular, she said, adding that the rice bowls she offers with either jambalaya, gumbo or a buttery gravy and roux sauce with crawfish tail meat also have a lot of takers.

Lockhart, along with her husband and executive chef Will Lockhart, have operated the business as a food truck for the past three years, stationing themselves near the Hanford site and other locations. They have also done catering, including for wineries in Prosser and on Red Mountain.

Originally from Baton Rouge, La., Ann Lockhart said the restaurant’s offerings are derived from her grandmother’s recipes, whom she spent years learning from. She and her husband built a good customer base through their food truck. They used it as an attempt to gauge interest for southern food in the area before committing to a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

The previous tenant at the airport lasted only a year, and John Haakenson, director of airports and operations for the Port of Benton, acknowledged that the restaurant’s location and the winter season offers some challenges.

But he added that the Lockharts were among the first to respond to the port’s call for a new restaurant, and they are coming in with years of experience.

They just seem so enthusiastic and caring,” Haakenson said. “In our opinion, we think it will work.”

Ann Lockhart said that she’s not concerned about the restaurant’s location at all, noting that most of their customers in the first weeks have been newcomers.

“I feel like ‘good food, you’ll find it,’” she said. “If you have what people want, they’ll find you.”

Hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though customers are encouraged to check the restaurant’s Facebook through the winter because weather could delay the morning opening. The restaurant is closed Sundays.

Prices range from $5 to $10.50 for breakfast and $6 to $14 for lunch.

Chicken shack

West Richland will soon add to its slate of eateries along the Van Giesen Street corridor.

Chicken Shack, which has locations in California, Nevada, Oregon and South Carolina, will be at 4390 W. Van Giesen St. in a former feed and supply store. A firm opening date hasn’t been announced, though signage has already been installed designating the restaurant.

Wings, chicken strips, fries and burgers make up much of the restaurant’s menu. It also offers 17 wing sauces, including four varieties of BBQ and heat intensity from mild to “Damn Hot.”

Chicken Shack also offers several party packs, ranging in prices from $35 to $69, for large group events such as tailgates.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 3:42 PM with the headline "A taste of the South now at the Richland Airport."