The Spokane County Courthouse is about to get tasty. Tasty Bun, a locally owned eatery, will become the courthouse’s new food vendor. The county courthouse has had food vendors before. The High Nooner, bun bao Spokane sandwich shop, had a location in the courthouse annex for years.
The High Nooner left and never came back, to the disappointment of many county employees. Spokane County spokesman Jared Webley said. Spokane County has been trying for months to bring some sort of food option back to the courthouse, but it hasn’t been easy. The county officially began the search in December, even lowering the rent price for the former High Nooner space.
Not a single restaurant or vendor was interested. Industrywide staffing shortages and the price of rent were to blame, Spokane County Purchasing Manager Tony Hall told the county commissioners on Aug. So the county lowered the cost of rent some more and tried again in spring. One company submitted a bid: Tasty Bun. He said he started the restaurant, located on Boone Avenue near Gonzaga University, in part because he wanted to get out of construction.
I always thought a bun would be delicious, but there was never any one around here that was any good. Tasty Bun is a Skaife invention, although it borrows ideas from other cuisines. To the uninitiated, the steamed buns look like fist-sized dumplings. The fillings come in five flavors. Gonzaga students love the breakfast bun, Skaife said. The Swedish meatball bun uses a recipe that’s been in Skaife’s family for years. Tasty Bun isn’t just about buns.
Soups and salads are on the menu, too, including some based on recipes Skaife created as a teenager. Skaife said he hopes having a second location will help his business weather the slow months when Gonzaga students aren’t on campus. 2,400 the High Nooner paid before the pandemic. Webley said, noting that Tasty Bun will be a grab-and-go option and will only use a quarter of the space the High Nooner used. It’ll be a very nice amenity for county employees, the public and jurors. The new Tasty Bun location should open next month.