Healthy fast food? New North Side location of Konala blends convenience of speedy drive-thru with benefits of whole foods

If the Jan. 24 grand opening of Konala is any indication, Spokane is hungry for healthy fast food options.
Make that starving – more than 1,000 customers drove through, dined in or picked up orders to go at the site of a former Carl’s Jr., breaking the company’s previous sales records from their two North Idaho locations.
Founders Trace and Jammie Miller opened the first Konala in 2023 in Post Falls and a second location in 2024 in Coeur d’Alene.
Named for their rescue dogs, Kona and Nala, Konala offers a drive-thru model featuring a 100% gluten-free menu with freshly prepared meals.
“We’re on a mission to make healthy food as delicious and convenient as possible,” Trace said. “Think meal prep, but assembled to order.”
This isn’t the couple’s first foray into the restaurant business. They previously owned the Bunker Bar in Post Falls and the Bunker Burger food truck.
The birth of their son, Colt, two years ago prompted them to focus on the future.
“The bar was fun in our 20s, but we wanted to have a business we’d be proud to pass down to our son,” Jammie said. “We’ve always had a healthy lifestyle and focused on fitness, and that didn’t really fit with a bar.”
Trace nodded.
“Our passion is health and wellness,” he said.
His passion was fueled by his own journey toward wellness. As a child, Trace was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.
“By the time I was 2, I was having 100 seizures a day,” he said. “My mom was told I’d die by age 13.”
Unwilling to accept that prediction, his mom found a doctor in Mexico. Thanks to a strict diet and the technology the Mexican physician had available, Trace has been seizure-free since age 7.
That experience instilled in him a deep understanding of the benefits of whole foods.
Konala’s menu is small but features a variety of protein-packed items like teriyaki chicken, ahi tuna, blackened shrimp and more.
The protein is served atop a bed of rice or greens, or you can choose a half-and-half option. For those who prefer plant-based options, tofu can be substituted without an additional charge.
Trace’s favorite dish is the burrito bowl, which includes chicken breast, pepperjack cheese, tortilla strips, cowboy salsa, avocado and ranch dressing.
“I could eat it every day,” he said.
Other popular items include the Greek bowl (steak, cucumber tomato salad, feta and chimichurri sauce) and the ho ney Sriracha chicken bowl (honey Sriracha chicken, fresh pineapple and marinated cucumber).
If you’re craving chicken strips, Konala has those, too. But their version is nonbreaded and air-fried and comes in spicy or regular with your choice of sauce.
For those with smaller appetites, a mini bowl option is available, consisting of just a protein and a base. The menu lists proteins, carbs, fats and calories for every option, and all items, including sauces, are gluten-free.
Even doggies get a healthy snack. Konala’s version of a pup cup is grilled chicken bites, and they’ve already proven popular with furry friends.
“Last year, we served 7,000 dogs at our Post Falls location,” Trace said.
Instead of sugary, chemical-laden sodas, Konala offers Olipop prebiotic sodas, as well as teas and lemonades from Hayden, Idaho-based Tractor beverages.
The north Spokane eatery is their first franchise location and is owned by franchisee Conrad Manfred. Spokane Valley and South Hill dwellers needn’t fret because work is underway for restaurants in both neighborhoods. Additionally, Manfred is looking to expand into Airway Heights.
Soon, the brand will go even farther. The Millers plan to launch locations in Arizona, Montana and Utah.
“We want to change the way people view fast food,” Trace said.
Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.