New Kennewick Diner Opening in Old Just Joel’s Location

It didn’t take long for the familiar dining location at 1515 W Kennewick Avenue to gain a new tenant.

The Busy Bee Diner plans to open their doors tomorrow at 7am and begin serving a hungry community.  The days/hours of operation for the Diner will be Tuesday through Sunday from 7am to 2pm.

The Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership listed The Busy Bee in the ‘Dine’ section of their website as ‘Coming Soon’.  A little more searching found The Busy Bee Facebook Page with more information about the Diner and the owners.

Owners Jamie and Andrea Vinson moved to the Tri-Cities two years ago from Corvallis, OR.  Jamie has over 30 years experience in the food industry, including holding an ownership stake in multiple restaurants on the Oregon Coast and the popular Sharon’s Cafe in Corvallis.

The food fare looks like it will be a hit with Tri-Cities, particularly those that are used to that location as a breakfast spot.  I’ll be the first to say, a good locally owned diner with great breakfast is getting harder to find.  Growing up on the East Coast, diners are part of the culinary fabric and I’m looking forward to trying what The Busy Bee will be offering as it looks pretty good.

For the last five years and change that location was the home of Just Joel’s, which closed at the beginning of 2023.  The location has a long history of housing food related businesses.  Long time residents of Kennewick remember when it was an A & W.  It has also been the home of a BBQ restaurant, Lonardo’s Gourmet Bakery for a number of years, and then Mike’s Place before Just Joel’s.