Owners to revive Wolffy's diner in former Arny's spot

The Spokane family that operated the Wolffy's Rockin' '50s Hamburgers restaurants here in the 1990s plans to revive the Wolffy's concept in the former Arny's Diner location near Gonzaga University.

Through a company called Wolffy Inc., the Davis family plans to open the new Wolffy's Hamburgers restaurant early next month, says Bob Davis Jr., who is part owner of the company. Wolffy's Inc. currently is remodeling the 900-square-foot building, located at the southwest corner of Hamilton Street and Sharp Avenue.

Wolffy's Hamburgers will seat 20 people and will have a drive-through window, Davis says. The diner will feature the same 1950s-style decor Wolffy's restaurants had in the past. It will serve breakfast and lunch, and might serve dinner eventually.

"We always liked the '50s theme, and the hamburger business is a good, fun business," Davis says. "We like to open upon corners with a lot of traffic, and we think this is a great location with lots of visibility."

The family is looking at opening three or four more Wolffy's diners in the Spokane area, but hasn't established a timetable for that expansion, he says.

The new diner will employ family members and a few part-time workers, he says. Wolffy's Inc. is leasing the building from Spokane-based LLC & M, L.L.C. and Greg Byrd, of Byrd Real Estate Group LLC, handled the lease.

Through a company called D&D Investments, the Davis family operated Wolffy's Rockin' '50s Hamburgers at the northeast corner of Monroe Street and Francis Avenue from 1988 to 1996, when it sold that site to Safeway Stores Inc. Safeway now operates a gas station there. The family operated another restaurant in Spokane Valley during the 1990s, but sold that property as well.

The family also had operated Wolffy's Old West Steakhouse on the North Side for a number of years, but closed that restaurant and sold the building in 2006.

Copyright Northwest Business Press Inc. May 29, 2008
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