Sabryna Hawes starts work at 3 a.m. Her staff comes in an hour later. On a recent Wednesday morning, The Wheatless Crumb sold 12 dozen cinnamon rolls in two hours, and customers waited around for the caramel pecan rolls to come out of the oven. On opening day in September, the line reached the end of the building for two hours. Roughly 1,000 baked goods sold out in about the same amount of time.
The bakery is at the corner of Overland and Eagle, where Coned Pizza used to be. Last year Hawes was selling gluten-free bread out of her home in Nampa and at farmers markets. This is her first storefront.
The same thing is happening across Meridian. Several long-running restaurants closed this year because their owners decided to leave, and in each room we can track, the new tenant is a local operator taking a next step. One came off a food truck. One came from a home kitchen. One is a Boise barbecue brand opening its third location. The newest food in Meridian is moving into strip-center spaces whose old names you probably still remember.
The Owners Who Chose Their Exit
Most of these closings were planned. Spice Indian Cuisine, at 3223 E. Louise Drive, served its last meal June 27. Madhu and Sudesh Jain were retiring. The Jain family opened Spice in 2016, after running Madhuban Indian Cuisine in Boise for a decade before selling it in 2005. "10 years Madhuban," Madhu told the Idaho Statesman, "and 10 years Spice." If you still miss the curries, the family's cookbook is called "House of Spice: A Family Cookbook."
KJ's American Grille closed September 23. That was the longest run in this group. The restaurant at 1565 S. Meridian Road opened in 1992 and spent decades as a JB's before owner Kelly Saurey dropped the franchise and renamed it in 2020. "I've been there for 34 years, and so I just decided it was time to be done with that phase," Saurey told BoiseDev. He estimated the number of people who worked there since 1992 is "in the 1,000s."
The Harp Irish Pub + Eatery's move was different. Owner Jaime Deal had to leave 1435 N. Eagle Road because the property owners were planning a major renovation, and the pub's last day was a Friday at the end of July.
So the rooms didn't empty because the business failed. They emptied because the owners retired, sold, or moved out ahead of a renovation. That's a big reason the spaces are filling with local operators instead of sitting empty.
Who Took the Keys
3223 E. Louise Drive, Suite 106
Lanna Grills and Bowls took over the Spice space, two doors down from Buffalo Wild Wings. The team behind it ran Tasty Thai, a food truck in Kuna that has since been sold. Business partner Pinpaka McCready describes the menu as "healthy-inspired dishes and Mediterranean flavors, with a little bit of an Asian twist." House signatures include the Red in Forest Soup at $15.95, a red broth with Thai basil and vegetables. The Char-Grilled Salmon with Golden Emulsion is $25.95.
Spice was full-service, and so is Lanna. Takeout is set up for the nearby office lunch crowd, and McCready pointed out that many local workers get about 30 minutes for lunch. The Idaho Department of Labor's September roundup lists Lanna as open in Meridian. Its website lists lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. The site doesn't say which days, so check before you go.
2976 E. Overland Road, Suite 110
The Wheatless Crumb, in the old Coned Pizza spot, is the clearest example of a cottage business going retail. A week and a half after opening, Hawes had grown her staff from six to 10, hired an overnight baking crew for cinnamon rolls and breads, and added a rewards program. The case holds bagels, cookies and pizza dough. Cinnamon rolls sell best. Baking uses Kerrygold butter and avocado oil. The shop opens at 7 a.m.
2845 E. Overland Road, Suite 100
A short way down Overland is Boran Coffee Lounge. It isn't a handoff in the same sense, but it follows the same pattern. Owner Tarra Recla grew up working in her family's specialty café in Bellevue, Washington, which ran for more than 20 years. Her parents retired from it 12 years ago, and Boran is her way of bringing it back. Her mother is Thai and her father is Persian, and the menu draws on both. A kebab-and-rice combination served as a sandwich is one of the most popular dishes. There's also Khaw Mun Gai, Koo Koo Sabzi on a croissant, and Thai tea French toast. The coffee bar serves a banana coconut latte, a Dubai chocolate latte, and Thai, Vietnamese and Turkish coffee.
Boran held its ribbon-cutting with the Meridian Chamber of Commerce on September 16. Hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. That 6 a.m. weekday start overlaps with The Wheatless Crumb's 7 a.m. opening on the same stretch of Overland, so you can get coffee and a cinnamon roll on one stop.
1410 W. McMillan Road
North Meridian got its handoff in a former Gandolfo's New York Deli. Neighbor Tim's BBQ opened its third location there in September. The brand started in 2021 with a drive-thru on Boise's West Bench and also runs a counter at the Warehouse Food Hall downtown. Owner Tim Goebel built the menu around slow-smoked Texas-style brisket and Carolina pork shoulder, cooked on a custom offset smoker. The Meridian location is both a sit-down restaurant and a drive-thru, open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
The Rooms Still in Between
A few spaces haven't been settled yet. Here's where each one stood as of early October:
- 1565 S. Meridian Road. Hanchao Wang, who owns Sushi Sushi, bought the former KJ's building and was scheduled to take possession October 1. Sushi Sushi started in Nampa and opened a second location near Linder and Chinden in June. Saurey said Wang plans to close for a few months to remodel and then reopen as a new restaurant. The concept hasn't been announced.
- 1760 S. Meridian Road. The Curb Bar and Grill closed temporarily after a fire in August caused significant damage. Owner Robert Truax said he intends to rebuild. We haven't found a confirmed reopening date.
- 3161 E. Fairview Avenue. Imperium Grill, owned by John Spahic, reopened August 7 after renovations. It had a short-lived first opening in 2024.
- 4300 E. Fairview Avenue. Fat Guy's Fresh Deli, a local chain, has announced a Fat Guy's Express Coffee & Deli here, sharing a building with a Valvoline. It's listed as coming soon, with no opening date yet.
- 520 S. Meridian Road. Yume Japanese Cuisine had closed by mid-August. No new tenant has been reported.
The KJ's building is the one to watch. The others are either open again or waiting on a date. That room ran as a family-style diner for more than three decades, and it now belongs to an owner whose Sushi Sushi opened its second location in June. Saurey expects the building to stay closed for a few months of remodeling before it reopens.
Until then, a Meridian fall weekend has new stops in familiar places. You can get Thai coffee on Overland at 6 a.m., gluten-free cinnamon rolls just up the road, brisket on McMillan, and Red in Forest Soup in the room where Spice served curry for a decade. If you also want a downtown evening this month, the City of Meridian's free Trunk or Treat is October 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at City Hall Plaza, 33 E. Broadway Ave. More than 90 local businesses will be handing out candy.
New businesses keep moving into the shopping centers near your street. If that has you wondering what your own home would sell for now, Nicole Morgan can put together a valuation based on recent sales near you. Request a Free Home Valuation, and you'll be working with Nicole directly from the first conversation.
