A Tri-Cities taproom closes after 2-year struggle for customers + BBQ restaurant shuts
Sage Brewing Co. is retreating from Kennewick.
Owner Tyson Crudup confirmed the taproom closed on Monday, saying that the spot at Hansen Park didn’t attract enough customers to stay in business.
“It’s disappointing. We had some customers here that we’re really going to miss,” he said.
Crudup said the team will focus on the brewery and taproom on Chapel Hill Boulevard in Pasco, which is its headquarters, brewery and original location.
Crudup said Sage launched the Hansen Park taproom in September 2021 believing the space with an ample patio at 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd. had the charm to become a popular neighborhood venue.
But it struggled to draw customers.
At first, it was a taproom only, selling beer brewed in Pasco. Customers were invited to bring their own food, a model that serves it well at the original location.
When that didn’t work, it developed a limited menu it could prepare in the limited kitchen that came with its space. Customers enjoyed the addition, but there weren’t enough of them, he said.
The original Sage microbrewery opened on Chapel Hill Boulevard in December 2019 and sells its beers through its own taproom and through a local network of restaurants.
The Pasco taproom is at 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd., Suite B 102. Food is available at a full-time food truck in the parking lot and at Taqueria El Rancho, a carniceria with a deli, which is next door.
Follow Sage on Facebook.
Dickey’s closes, again
The Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Kennewick has closed and is referring customers to its remaining spot in Richland’s Queensgate neighborhood.
It is the second time the Kennewick location has closed. All three local outlets of the Dallas, Texas-based chain closed in June 2019 after the state Department of Revenue filed tax warrants for unpaid taxes. it reopened under new ownership in 2020.
The Kennewick restaurant was on West Kennewick Avenue, next to the now-closed Safeway store. A sign in the door advises customers to visit the remaining store at 2530 Queensgate Drive.
Sharetea Tri-Cities now open
Sharetea Tri-Cities has opened in Kennewick. Sharetea held a soft opening earlier in the month followed by a grand opening on Sept. 16.
Sharetea is at 128 S. Ely St., Kennewick, near Highway 395 and a former Safeway location. The global bubble tea brand sells customizable drinks and toppings based on tea imported from Taiwan.
Popular offerings include taro ice blended with pudding, a pearl beverage blended with Oreos, matcha red bean milk tea, Thai pearl milk tea and QQ happy family milk tea.
Go to shareteatricities.com or follow it on Facebook or Instagram.
Have an opening or closing to share? Let us know at news@tricityherald.com
Sign Up: Boom Town Tri-Cities
Stay up to date on Tri-Cities growth and development with our weekly business newsletter. Get the latest on restaurant and business openings and closings, plus the region’s top housing and employment news. Click here to sign up. In your inbox every Wednesday.
