As part of Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s nearly $20 million south-side expansion at 100 N. Hayford Road, in Airway Heights, the entertainment venue is adding three new eateries to its food court, says Brandon Haugen, general manager of Kalispel Development Co.

A new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, a Qdoba Mexican Eats restaurant, and a Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasting Co. kiosk will open in late June or early July, more than doubling the number of eateries in the food court, says Haugen.

The total project cost for the food court expansion is about $1.5 million, he says. In addition to installing the new food options, the casino is expanding the lobby area for the restaurants and upgrading furniture and lighting.

Julie Holland, Northern Quest spokeswoman, says the food court currently occupies roughly 3,000 to 3,500 square feet, and the space will double in size when construction is complete.

Lydig Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley, is the contractor, and Hissong Design Group LLC, of Spokane, which does business as HDG Architecture, is the designer.

Haugen says Ben & Jerry’s, Qdoba, and Thomas Hammer will occupy 500 square feet, 1,000 square feet, and 500 square feet of space, respectively. A customer seating area will take up another 1,000 square feet, he says.

Ben & Jerry’s will lease space adjacent to a new Kid’s Quest, a youth entertainment arcade that will feature games and a quiet area for children to read, learn, and study, he says.

Kid’s Quest is based in Plymouth, Minn. The similarity in name with Northern Quest is a coincidence, says Haugen.

Kari Conner, Ben & Jerry’s Spokane-area franchisee, says the new Northern Quest shop will probably have 12 to 15 employees, two or three of whom will work full time.

The shop will offer 36 flavors of ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, and nondairy options. It also will feature ice cream cakes for events at Kid’s Quest.

Conner also is looking into room and casino delivery options for Ben & Jerry’s products.

“We are just so excited. We cannot wait for that building to be done,” says Conner. “They have so many creative things going on up there, and the energy is going to be wonderful to be involved in.”

Haugen says there’s a big demand onsite for quality desserts.

“We just felt it was the right product, the right mix, and the right business relationship to move forward with,” he says.

He also says Mexican food is one of the most requested types of cuisines at Northern Quest, so the resort chose to franchise with Qdoba Mexican Eats. The restaurant likely will create about 25 jobs and will be managed by Northern Quest.

Thomas Hammer, owner of the coffee chain, says the Northern Quest is licensing the brand.

The kiosk will offer the same products as other Thomas Hammer shops, such as a variety of coffees, baked goods, and other foods, says Hammer.

Hammer says the kiosk is part of a larger agreement with Northern Quest. Thomas Hammer wholesales its coffee to Northern Quest already, and the kiosk was the next step in the partnership. 

“For us, I think that we’re really proud to be part of the project out there, and we’re excited to see it get off the ground,” he says.

Haugen says the new kiosk will have about 10 employees and be stationed near the main entrance of the new expansion.

The food court additions are a fraction of the overall resort and casino expansion, which also will include a Cyber Quest arcade, a movie-and-dinner theater complex, and a retail store to be called Windfall.

ALSC Architects PS, of Spokane, designed the expansion. Garco Construction Inc. is handling work on the movie-and-dinner complex. 

Kalispel Development Co. also is developing a $7 million recreational-vehicle park on 17 acres of land south of the casino and west of a Chevron gas station. 

The park will include 70 RV stalls, 18 cottages, a clubhouse, two wash houses, and a dog park. It’s scheduled to open in midsummer.

Holland says, Garco Construction is also the contractor for the RV park.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s website also says it’s developing Salish Flats, 216 market rate apartments. The apartments will offer one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts and will be located west of the new RV park. Leasing is scheduled to start this fall.

Owned by the Cusick, Wash.-based Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Northern Quest opened in 2000, says Haugen. The establishment has been through a series of expansions, the last one being eight years ago.

Kalispel Development is a subsidiary of the development arm of the Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority, which operates Northern Quest.