When show after show on this summer's calendar were forced to cancel and it became clear this pandemic wasn't abating anytime soon, the owners of Spokane Comedy Club knew they had to get creative.
The club's last live show was back on March 15, says co-owner Adam Norwest.
"Now we've been closed for five months with no end in sight and, you know, bills to pay and staff with families to feed, and we realized we needed to do something for the club to survive and thrive long-term," Norwest says.
Enter Spokane Shake Company, the club's new name and focus as a restaurant for the foreseeable future.
"We wanted to focus on something fun and unique, so we've put together a menu with 39 milkshake flavors," he says.
All shakes ($5.49-$6.49) are made using Tillamook ice cream, with various other ingredients mixed in like sugary cereal, candy bar chunks, fruit and more to create specialty flavors. There's also boozy shakes ($9) for the 21-and-up crowd. The "Backstreet's Back" shake is vanilla with brown sugar bourbon; "Almost Famous" has cookies and cream ice cream with Bailey's Irish Cream and vanilla vodka.
Rounding out the menu are 12-inch pizzas ($10-$15), a handful of salads, shareable appetizers and a collection of gourmet hotdogs ($7.49) that were previously served during comedy shows.
The full menu, including boozy shakes, is available for dine-in and to-go orders, and the venue is also open to all ages all week except on Mondays after 6 pm, when it changes to 18+ as the club streams stand-up comedy on its projector. Trivia night is on Wednesday.
To patrons eager for the return of live comedy, Norwest says he's just as anxious. He says all shows that have been canceled so far have new dates into next year, or that a full refund is being offered.
"As soon as something happens that legally allows us to have comedy, we'll have it again," he says.
Follow the club on Facebook at Spokane Shake Company - Comedy Club for updates on the return of live events. To check out the new food and milkshake menu, head to spokaneshake.com.
Eat Good Group takes over
food service at Sky Ribbon Cafe
Large-scale events could be off for the rest of the year, but at least we have our beautiful parks. At Riverfront Park, we also have tasty eats, which can be enjoyed at the Sky Ribbon Cafe, or taken elsewhere in the park for an urban picnic.
In mid-August, the cafe's food service contract was handed off to local chef Adam Hegsted's Eat Good Group. Hegsted says the Eat Good team will be there cooking up scratch-made favorites — burgers, tacos, pizza and more — from its regional restaurants including Incrediburger, Taco Suave and Doughlicious bakery through March, and hopefully longer if the contract is extended. The cafe is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm.
"We love being part of the park and are hopeful that visitors see value in having someone local run the cafe there at the SkyRide," Hegsted says. "We've got some really cool ideas that we've teamed up with the park for that are coming out soon, like a fried chicken dinner in the park with champagne on the SkyRide gondolas, or a multicourse dinner with dessert over the river."
In addition to favorites from Eat Good Group's concepts, the cafe serves a handful of classic concessions, as well as beer and wine. For updates on specials, upcoming events and more, follow on Facebook at facebook.com/skyribboncafe or head to skyribboncafe.com. ♦