Tri-Cities sports bar opened just before COVID. Now it’s moving to ‘Bougie’ new spot

Jackalope Bar & Grill, known for the close-knit camaraderie between staff and regulars, reopens mid-week in new quarters less than a mile from the old.

Owner Laurie Winchel said Jackalope is ready to reopen in the former Bougie Brunch, 3320 W. Kennewick Ave., as soon as health inspectors sign off and Jackalope’s license transfers from the original spot.

The new location has hosted a succession of restaurants. Before Bougie Brunch, it was a Chicken Shack, Barley’s BrewHub, Jackson’s Sports Bar, a Wooly Bully’s and even a comedy club.

Winchel is unconcerned about past turnover.

Sports bars have thrived there.

Barley’s — famously visited by Guy Fieri for the Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives — closed in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

Every business has its own story, she said.

She believes it will be a great spot for Jackalope with more seating, parking, patio space and a beefed up kitchen that will let it expand beyond its basic sports bar menu of pizza, burgers, salads and sandwiches.

“This building was a good opportunity,” she said, adding that she always intended to own rather than rent restaurant space.

Her dream came true when she formed Friends in Low Places LLC, which bought the Bougie building in May, three months after it closed.

Her friends in low places know well what it takes to repurpose a building — she bought the building with Brandon Mayfield, president of Chervenell Construction, and Matt Fredrickson, president of DGR Grant Construction.

Together, the team stripped away the brunch spot furnishings and reinstated sports bar fixtures. It was a labor of love that included family and friends who loaned their talents to the effort after work.

“Everyone came in at night,” she said.

Jackalope will continue to serve sports bar fare, though she expects to expand the menu in the larger kitchen. She is hiring new staff as well.

Old Espo’s Sports Bar

Winchel and general manager Emilie Hallman set the stage for Jackalope in early 2020, when Winchel took over Espo’s Sports Bar and Grill and its lease for 107 Vista Way in central Kennewick.

“Jackalope” is a nod to a long-running family gag.

Winchel’s late brother taxidermied a jackrabbit with antlers to create a mythical creature. Now something of a family heirloom, the beast is mounted over the bar and features prominently in its logo and branding materials.

Jackalope could easily have faded in its first months, a victim of difficult timing.

It opened on Feb. 8, 2020 , five weeks before Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order that closed nonessential businesses, including dining rooms, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Jackalope stayed in business by offering pizza and burgers to take out customers and accommodating guests at its makeshift patio, when the pandemic rules permitted it..

“We did all the things,” she recalled.

Winchel said a total shutdown could have been catastrophic. Some of her young staffers had left other jobs to join Jackalope. Many didn’t have enough of a work history immediately prior to the pandemic to qualify for unemployment benefits.

Take out and patio dining let Jackalope pay its rent and its employees, but didn’t cover much more. Still, she considers herself blessed.

“The community supported us so much,” she said.

The Vista Way location will close when they move.

Longtime fixture

Winchel is a longtime fixture of the Tri-Cities food scene.

Her grandmother and later her mother operated a cafe. As a girl, she washed dishes and filled coffee cups. At 21, she began working in bars.

Her resume includes representing Sysco, the food distributor, to local restaurants and being part of the group that purchased the former Tri-City County Club and converted it into Zintel Creek, with a steakhouse in the former country club dining room.

She also owns Finley’s Longbranch Saloon, 230006 E. SR 3979. Longbranch is a country-focused honkytonk with live music and a separate vibe altogether.

“They’re completely different,” she said.

Follow Jackalope Bar & Grill ‘s moving day progress on Facebook .

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