The Habit Burger Grill is once again looking to expand into the Lilac City four years after abandoning plans for a restaurant in north Spokane.

A building permit is under review by the city for a 3,120-square-foot Habit Burger Grill at 6335 N. Division St.

The Irvine, California-based restaurant chain has gained somewhat of a following for its made-to-order, charbroiled burgers topped with fresh produce.

Habit Burger’s menu also features chicken, tri-tip steak and sushi-grade ahi tuna sandwiches. It also includes made-to-order salads, sweet potato fries, tempura green beans and handcrafted shakes.

The Habit Burger has 12 restaurants in Washington, including locations in Yakima and Richland.

The first of the chain-burger joints opened in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969.

Co-founder and former CEO Brent Reichard got a job flipping burgers at the establishment when he was 16 years old. Four years later, he purchased the restaurant with his brother, Bruce.

Reichard stepped down as CEO in 2008, following Habit Burger’s purchase by private equity firm KarpReilly in 2007.

Reichard was succeeded by Russ Bendel, a restaurant industry veteran who previously served as president and COO of The Cheesecake Factory.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands, which also operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and WingStreet, acquired the Habit Burger brand last year.

The Habit Burger Grill has grown to more than 325 restaurants in 14 states, in addition to locations in China and Cambodia.

The project valuation for the proposed Habit Burger Grill in north Spokane is $700,000, according to the application.

Santa Ana, California-based Clark Commercial Development is the project contractor. Lena, Illinois-based Lingle Design Group is designing the restaurant.

In 2018, Habit Burger submitted a building permit application to the city for a restaurant at 6710 N. Division St. in north Spokane.

The company withdrew the application a year later and a Maverik gas station was later built on the site.

TacoVado eyes space on Northwest BLVD

TacoVado is looking to expand from its drive-thru stand in West Central to a larger restaurant space.

A permit is under review by the city to convert an existing building formerly occupied by The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy into a 1,570-square-foot restaurant at 1327 W. Northwest Boulevard.

Work calls for a service, kitchen and dining area, in addition to construction of a container on the property for cold storage, according to the application.

TacoVado currently operates out of a former coffee stand at 1602 N. Ash St.

The eatery, which opened in 2020, serves tacos, burritos and bowls for breakfast and lunch.

The estimated permit valuation is $49,000, according to the application.

Vincent Bakulich, who is listed as primary contact for the project on the permit, had filed a pre-development application in April 2021 to potentially convert the existing building on the site into Behive Urban Kitchen.

Those plans did not progress past the pre-development conference with the city, aside from an interior demolition permit approved in August.

Office and cidery planned on Third Ave.

An existing building on Third Avenue in downtown Spokane could be converted into an office, warehouse and cidery.

Spokane-based Copeland Architecture & Construction Inc. filed a pre-development application with the city to renovate an existing building and conduct site improvements at 213 and 217 E. Third Ave.

Work also includes construction of a storage shed and addition of a patio on the west end of the existing building, according to a site plan for the project.

Spokane County Assessors Office records show Third Draft LLC purchased the two sites on Third Avenue for $930,000 in April.

Third Draft LLC is registered to Austin Dickey, Steven Anderson, Jeff Fountain and Benjamin Pratt.

Pandora to open in Spokane Valley Mall

Pandora, a Danish jewelry manufacturer and designer known for its customizable charm bracelets, is opening a store in Spokane Valley Mall.

West End, a North Carolina-based Commercial Permit Group, filed a building permit application with the city last week to renovate a 1,400-square-foot existing space to make way for Pandora at 14728 E. Indiana Ave.

The permit did not specify a suite number for the proposed jewelry store.

The permit valuation is $160,000, according to the application.

Per Enevoldsen and his wife, Winnie, founded Pandora in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1982.

The couple often traveled to Thailand in search of jewelry to import.

As demand for products increased, they became jewelry wholesalers.

In 1987, Pandora expanded and its first designer joined the company, which shifted its focus to creating its own jewelry, according to the company’s website.

In 2000, Pandora launched its charm bracelet concept. The company expanded into the U.S. in 2003.

In addition to charm bracelets, Pandora also designs and manufactures rings, earrings, necklaces and watches.

The company opened its first concept store in Charlotte, N.C., in 2007.

Pandora has more than 27,300 employees worldwide and more than 420 concept stores in the U.S. with about 150 of those locations owned and operated by the company.

The Spokane Valley Mall site would be Pandora’s second-proposed location.

Commercial Permit Group received building permit approval from the city of Spokane in April to convert a 1,900-square-foot space on the second floor of River Park Square to a Pandora store.