Home of 1st Tri-Cities Red Robin demolished. What’s coming next?

An excavator from TC Excavation of Hermiston, Ore., began demolishing a former restaurant building at 924 George Washington Way in Richland this week.

CFT NV Developments is tearing down the former Red Robin restaurant and Chinese buffet to make room for a Panda Express and a second restaurant.

The aging building has long been an eyesore for drivers on the busy thoroughfare.

Since the Red Robin in Richland closed 20 years ago, the site on one of the busiest streets in Tri-Cities has struggled to find a tenant to bring the once popular spot back to life.

The restaurant sat vacant until 2004 when the City Buffet opened, but it closed after a 10-year run.

Plans filed with Washington state last year showed the building was expected to be torn down to make way for two new eateries with drive-thru windows.

At the time it wasn’t clear if Panda Holdings intends to sell or lease the second building.

Panda Express currently operates four restaurants in Tri-Cities. They are in Richland in the Vintner Square center at Queensgate; Pasco on North Road 68 in front of the Walmart Supercenter; Kennewick at Clearwater Avenue and Highway 395; and inside Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.

Panda Holdings also has filed paperwork with the state for an environmental survey for a new restaurant at 1525 W. Court St. in Pasco.