Spokane restaurateur Dennis Kelly, who owns four Zip's Drive-In restaurants here, says he has bought a fifth, in Spokane Valley. Separately, the longtime owners of the Zip's in Cheney say they and some partners have reopened a Zip's outlet in Airway Heights that had closed earlier this year.

Kelly says the outlet he bought in Spokane Valley is located at 6525 E. Broadway and employs 15 people. He says he bought the restaurant, which has about 2,800 square feet of floor space, last month from Ron Brown.

"He was looking to sell, and I already owned four, so it made sense," Kelly says.

Kelly also owns Zip's Drive-Ins at 5901 E. Trent, at 223 S. Lincoln, at 1604 W. Francis, and at 1018 W. Northwest Blvd.

Meanwhile, Curt and Lisa Griffin, of Spokane, who own the Zip's outlet at 911 First in Cheney, have partnered with Tony and Tricia Abel, of Medical Lake, to buy the property at 12421 W. Sunset Highway, in Airway Heights, where a Zip's had been operated, Curt Griffin says. That sale was completed in August, he says. Griffin says they bought the building there and property from a Spokane investment group.

Griffin says the group spent about $200,000 to renovate and re-equip the restaurant, which had been closed for a few months, and reopened it on Oct. 8.

The 3,500-square-foot Cheney outlet employs 32 people, and the 2,500-square-foot Airway Heights restaurant is expected to employ about 15, Griffin says.

Like the Cheney outlet, the Zip's in Airway Heights is providing full-service breakfast, Griffin says. "It's more like a diner in the morning."

Griffin says the owners are doing a lot of advertising, particularly to reach customers at Fairchild Air Force base.