A new ownership group at The Ref sports bar, in Spokane Valley, says it plans to open its kitchen for take-out and delivery starting Monday, Dec. 21.

It’s one of two business plans operating partners Casey Garland, Rakesh Kaushal, and Hilary Yarno have in place for restaurants in the next couple of months.

Kaushal is owner and president of SA3 Restaurant Group Inc., which assumed the lease of The Ref, located at 14208 E. Sprague, from previous lease holder M3K LLC. 

At the request of the previous lease holders, the sports bar and restaurant will retain its name, says Garland.

Under the guidance of Kaushal, who is a chef, SA3 Restaurant Group also operates and owns The Mango Tree, a pair of Indian kitchen and taphouses located at 401 W. Main, in downtown Spokane, and at 1726 W. Kathleen, in Coeur d’Alene. The Coeur d’Alene restaurant opened in 2018, while the downtown location opened last year.

SA3 Restaurant Group already has hired 15 employees to work in its take-out kitchen, which will feature burgers, pastas, pizza, and specialty wraps, he says.

The Ref occupies a 6,500-foot-space, including patio, that has had a seating capacity of up to 400, Garland says.

“Quite frankly, post COVID, we’re not sure we want to replicate that effort,” he says. “We want to create some space where people can stretch out.”

The same goes for the restaurant group’s plans for a full-service pizza, grill, and sports bar restaurant in a 5,800-square foot space at 9225 N. Nevada, on Spokane’s North Side. SA3 has its sights set on launching Spokane Pizza Co. in the former Mackenzie River Pizza Co. restaurant space in the Pavilion Shopping Center.

SA3 will lease the restaurant space from Leland Restaurant LLC. Garland also will serve as general manager at that restaurant.

Garland says the group optimistically is targeting a soft opening between mid-January and early February.

The process of reopening The Ref was more streamlined, as there was an existing lease complete with a Washington state liquor license. The former Mackenzie River Pizza Co. vacated that location a few years ago, he says.

Despite the pizza restaurant’s 350-seat capacity, Garland says the owners also want to create a more open and an airy environment for Spokane Pizza Co.

“That location is going to be more family focused with a pretty broad menu for all ages,” Garland says.