Cupcake venture sets up in Millwood kitchen


Sweet & Stout Co., a startup bakery that makes cupcakes with beer in the batter, has opened in Millwood.

Sweet & Stout is leasing a 1,080-square-foot commercial kitchen at JP Fossil Creek, at 4302 N. Argonne. Jackie Mustard, who co-owns Sweet & Stout with her fiance, Dylan Waidelich, is also an employee at the Journal of Business.

"Sweet & Stout started out as a blog that Dylan and I could both write because it's about two things we both love - beer and cupcakes," Mustard says.

The baking process includes putting different kinds of craft beer directly into cupcake batter, Mustard says. She chooses beer flavors that complement the flavors of the cake, she says.

Currently, Sweet & Stout sells cupcakes to Spokane Brews LLC, which does business as Brews on Washington, at 7 S. Washington here. Sweet & Stout plans to start taking more orders next month, Mustard says.

Sweet & Stout offers six flavors, including salted chocolate caramel with a stout or extra special bitter (ESB) beer, red velvet with a porter beer, pumpkin with pumpkin ale or Oktoberfest beer, and espresso chocolate with vanilla bourbon stout.


Tailgater fills space near Spokane Arena


GTM 2011 LLC, which does business as The Tailgater, has opened in 10,000 square feet of leased space across from the Spokane Arena, at 1221 N. Howard.

Season Ticket Sports, Spirits & Grub previously occupied the space.

Co-owners Jenn Mitchell, Clark Goff, and Kyla Goff decided to open The Tailgater when the location across from the arena became available to lease, Kyla Goff says.

The Tailgater is primarily a sports bar and features flat-screen televisions, the Spokane Comedy Club, and a banquet room that can seat about 125 people, Goff says.

The menu includes wraps, sandwiches, wings, burgers, salads, and homemade kettle chips. The business employs 13 people, including Mitchell and the Goffs.

In addition to The Tailgater, the Goffs also own Sweet Beans Coffee, at 1602 N. Ash. They plan to become a sponsor to the Spokane Chiefs and work with the Spokane Arena on other promotions to help grow their business, Goff says.



Froyo business owners open two more outlets


Joe and Lora Seaman, of Coeur d'Alene, recently opened two new North Idaho outlets of their frozen yogurt business, Jamms Frozen Yogurt Inc.

The newer of the two opened early last month in a 3,000-square-foot space at 1224 E. Sherman in downtown Coeur d'Alene, says Joe Seaman.

Before that, the Seamans opened a store on July 1 in Moscow, Idaho, at 954 Pullman Road, near the University of Idaho campus, he says.

Seaman says that since the flagship location of Jamms Frozen Yogurt opened last February, at 3500 N. Government Way in Coeur d'Alene, business has been favorable, and sales there have been trending upward each month, prompting his and his wife's decision to open additional outlets.

He says Jamms employs a total of about 40 full- and part-time employees at its three locations.

Seaman says he hopes to open two more Jamms outlets, but declines to disclose where he's considering locating those stores. He says he doesn't plan to open a fourth outlet in the near future, but eventually would like to operate a total of five Jamms stores across the Inland Northwest.


Scratch owners fill former Niko's space

Business partners Jason Rex and Connie Naccarato, co-owners and operators of the Scratch Restaurant & Lounge here, plan to open two restaurants, Rex's Burgers & Brews and Fraiche Contemporary French, next month in the downtown space at 14 N. Post that formerly housed Niko's Greek Restaurant & Wine Bar.

The two businesses will share the 6,300-square-foot leased space and the kitchen within, Rex says. He says he plans to have nine employees at Fraiche and 40 at Rex's Burgers. Cooks will be trained on both menus.

Rex's Burgers will operate as a high-end sports bar, but also will be family friendly, Rex says. It will feature an interactive burger bar, where patrons can choose their own condiments to customize their burgers. Fraiche will put a local twist on French cuisine, Rex says, and will offer an upscale, white-tablecloth atmosphere. Both establishments will feature homemade food in the tradition of Scratch, he says.

Johnson Consulting, of Spokane, was in charge of renovating the space, which cost around $100,000, Rex says.


Wraps replaces A&W in Spokane Valley

Restaurateurs Duane and Brandi Behrens have closed an A&W Family Restaurant they operated in Spokane Valley and have opened a new restaurant named Wraps in the same space.

The A&W had occupied a 2,000-square-foot restaurant building at 15605 E. Sprague, but that restaurant wasn't performing well because of the economy, Brandi Behrens says. The couple wanted to try its own business concept, so instead of laying off their employees, they closed down for four days, did a quick interior remodel, and reopened as Wraps.

The Behrens put together the Wraps menu and recipes themselves, Behrens says. The menu includes wraps, salads, burritos, burgers, french fries, and an all-day breakfast menu. The Behrens plan to apply for a beer-and-wine license in the near future, Behrens says. The restaurant, which isn't affiliated with a chain, currently has nine employees, including the Behrenses.

In addition to Wraps, the couple still owns two A&W locations on Spokane's North Side, one of them in the NorthTown Mall and the other at 6730 N. Division, Behrens says.