The Hops N Drops bar and restaurant on Spokane’s North Side is moving to the Northpointe Plaza retail center.

Kevin Eggen, CEO of the Bonney Lake, Washington-based restaurant chain, says the lease on the building at 9265 N. Nevada is ending soon, and the company had been considering a move for a while.

“The sales were okay there, but we really wanted to move to a busier highway for more visibility,” Eggen says.

When the former Pizza Hut restaurant building at 9998 N. Newport Highway was listed for sale, the company moved quickly to purchase the property, he says.

“We think the sales volume will be better,” Eggen says.

The company bought the 3,400-square-foot building for $1.25 million. Chris Bell, of NAI Black, and Ryan Oberg, of Goodale & Barbieri, handled the transaction. 

Eggen says the building will be remodeled inside, and the exterior work will change the profile of the structure from its distinctive Pizza Hut roof shape. He says he’s not sure yet how much the work will cost.

Kilgore Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the project. Architecture All Forms, also of Spokane, is designing the renovations. 

“We’re doing the drawings now, and we’ll try to get in for permits sometime in November and start construction in February,” Eggen says. “Depending on how long it takes, we’ll open sometime in the summer.”

The 40 employees currently at the North Spokane location will retain their jobs, Eggen says, and an additional 20 to 30 people will be hired after the restaurant moves.

The Hops N Drops in North Spokane opened in 2012 after the company built a 4,500-square-foot, stand-alone restaurant building there. Hops N Drops opened a location at the Spokane Valley Mall in 2015. The restaurant chain, which formerly was called Hop Jack’s until a name change in 2018, has 15 locations in Washington, four in Oregon, and three in Colorado.

Hops N Drops opened its first restaurant in 2009 in Bonney Lake, about 15 miles east of Tacoma.

Drinks offered at Hops N Drops include cocktails such as lemon drops and martinis served in glasses made of ice. The food menu includes sandwiches, buffalo wings, nachos, tacos, mac and cheese, salads, and burgers.