The Dirt

Burger bar sets March opening

Owner Josh Hissong says his new downtown Spokane burger place is expected to open in March 2015, in the Michael Building at the corner of Lincoln Street and Sprague Avenue. That’s the site of former restaurants Travo’s and Agavé.

The Burger Lab was his first choice when he earlier announced plans for the spot. A name change took place after he tested Burger Lab and found it didn’t grab potential customers, he said.

It’s now called Knife Burger Bar (knifeburger.com). “It may be a little cheesy, but every burger will be served with a knife stuck in it, to hold it together,” Hissong said.

The restaurant and kitchen area will cover about 2,100 square feet.

His company’s other food place on the block, NUDO Ramen House, has been a bigger success than expected, he said.

Because past remodels left a patchwork of utilities and fixtures, Hissong said he and his partners needed to do extensive work to give the building an up-to-date kitchen and service area.

Another major improvement will be removing the marblecrete pieces on the outside walls, in order to restore the original look, Hissong said.

Known officially as the Germond Building, the structure is on the National Historic Landmarks list; that designation required extra costs while making modifications to the walls and interior, Hissong said.

The landlord is Diamond Co. of Seattle.

Mountain West opens branch

Mountain West Bank has opened a new branch at 7407 N. Division St., in north Spokane. It’s the bank’s 23rd location in the region.

A company release said the new branch was a response to requests for more convenient locations and services from north Spokane customers.

Its other Spokane branch is at 12321 E. Mission Ave., in Spokane Valley.