A Tomato Street restaurant banner hangs in the space that previously housed Rock City Grill restaurant on the ground level of River Park Square, suggesting that restaurant will be the next tenant.
Neither River Park Square general manager Bryn West nor Tomato Street co-owner Dean Haynes could be reached for comment.
The Tomato Street banner first appeared earlier in July and remained hanging at the entryway of the 7,100-square-foot space as of the evening of July 25.
In June, Rock City Grill owners—Jim Rhoades and his wife, Rose Rhoades—moved their restaurant to a 4,650-square-foot space at 2911 E. 57th that Famous Ed’s restaurant formerly occupied.
Before moving into River Park Square in 2003, the couple debuted Rock City Grill in 4,200 square feet of space on the main level of the Fernwell Building, at 505 W. Riverside, in October 1992. The couple also operated a Rock City Grill restaurant and bar in the Spokane Valley from 1998 to 2001.
Jim Rhoades told the Journal last month he was able to locate a tenant that would assume Rock City Grill’s lease downtown. In June, West declined to identify the new RPS tenant, pending finalization of lease terms.
A Tomato Street restaurant is located at 6220 N. Division, at the southeast corner of Francis Avenue and Division Street, on Spokane’s North Side, one also operates in Coeur d’Alene at 221 W. Appleway.
Tomato Street’s owners expanded the North Side store in 2009, giving it a total of almost 10,000 square feet. Tomato Street opened at that location in 1994. Haynes told the Journal in 2009 that the restaurant typically employees between 100 and 110 employees.