Shenanigans’ owner looking for new Spokane site

The CEO of the company that recently closed C.I. Shenanigans said he’s looking for a new restaurant location in Spokane. RAM International’s Jeff Iverson said Spokane has been a good market for the restaurant, but downtown has now become “a bit saturated,” making his location search more complicated. Shenanigans operated downtown for 32 years along the south shore of the Spokane River near the Spokane Convention Center. Lynnwood-based RAM closed the restaurant abruptly on Oct. 13. Spokane’s Public Facilities District bought the restaurant property in 2010. The district plans to expand the convention center to the north, forcing demolition of Shenanigans next spring. PFD officials say they told Iverson they would not renew Shenanigans’ property lease beyond early 2013. Spokane Public Facilities District CEO Kevin Twohig said the closure came as a surprise. He said he believed the eatery would stay open through December. Iverson said he’s been looking for another location for more than a year but hasn’t found the right spot. He acknowledged the closure led to “a lot of emotions” directed at his company. He added that he never told employees that Shenanigans would remain open through December. But he said he’s not willing to rehash the series of events that led to the closure. “What I can say is we always try to do the best thing we can for our company and our people,” Iverson said.