It’s only fitting that a former Gonzaga University basketball player, a local physician, a couple of restaurateurs, and a one-time track and field athlete at Spokane Falls Community College team up to purchase a restaurant and bar as eclectic as they are.

But that’s just what the partners in Felony Flatts LLC have done with their Jan. 2 acquisition of the Maxwell House Restaurant, at 1425 N. Ash, in the West Central neighborhood.

Former GU player Casey Calvary, restaurateurs Ethan Higa, Arman Mohsenian, and Alex Springer along with Providence Health & Services physician Dr. William Page purchased the legendary 8,000-square-foot restaurant for $560,000 from longtime owners Richard and Kay Culnane, who decided to retire. That transaction includes both the real estate and the business assets. 

Their game plan is simple: Don’t stray too far from the restaurant’s past and be loyal to the regulars, says Mohsenian.

“Everybody’s kind of walking on eggshells; we don’t want to disturb the status quo,” says Mohsenian, who along with Higa and Springer previously worked at the Downriver Grill, in North Spokane.

The five men have come to know each other over the years through mutual personal and professional contacts, Mohsenian says.

“I knew that Ethan and Alex wanted to do their own thing at some point,” says Mohsenian, who adds those two are responsible for the daily operations of the restaurant.

So, over the last few years, Mohsenian says the partners kept its eyes on potential properties to acquire. He first saw the 50-year-old restaurant appear for sale two years ago for approximately $800,000. They finally made their move last year.

Higa and Springer are among the restaurant’s half-dozen employees. They also receive staff help from family periodically, Mohsenian says.

 Of the Maxwell House, Mohsenian says, “It’s a great neighborhood resident that draws on local residents.”

It’s also frequented by members of the law-enforcement and legal community because of its proximity to the Spokane County Courthouse and Public Safety Building, he says.

Richard Fox, also a former GU basketball player and now a broker with Kiemle Hagood, represented Felony Flatts LLC in the transaction.