Sonny’s is back: Landmark Washtucna tavern back in action

WASHTUCNA — Sonny’s Tavern and Grill is back. The long-established gathering place in Washtucna, which has struggled to keep going in recent years, reopened Oct. 26.

“It's been closed more than it's been open in the last about six years,” said Bridget Coon, who owns and operates Sonny’s with her husband, Paul. “The previous owners had it in 2016 and by 2018, they had some kind of a fire around the water heater and it caused a lot of smoke damage. So it was closed (in) 2018, 2019 to basically gut and remodel it. They reopened in 2020, which was a hard time. I recall their first weekend open was the weekend that indoor dining was shut down (for the COVID-19 pandemic).”

The owners were able to keep Sonny’s going for a while with takeout, Coon said, but then moved away from the area, leaving the establishment to sit on the market until the Coons took ownership in August.

There’s been a tavern in that location on Washtucna’s main drag for about a century, Coon said. In the course of fixing the place up, they uncovered records going back to 1923. It was called the Arrowhead Tavern when Sonny and Carol Lund bought it in 1963 and gave it the name it still carries today. 

The Lunds turned Sonny’s from a watering hole into a full-fledged eatery, which the Coons have continued expanding. The traditional specialty of the house is Sonny’s chicken and joes, a pressure-fried half-chicken and a quartered potato. The new owners have added burgers and German sausages made from locally raised meat, as well as what they call “totchos,” ground beef and nacho cheese served over tots. The beef is raised on the Coons’ own Bar-U ranch near Benge, Coon said.

The Coons met at Washington State University, and the place reflects their Cougar heritage, Coon said. Washtucna’s location on Highway 26 between Pullman and the west side further emphasizes the connection.  The menu includes Cougar Gold cheese and ice cream from Ferdinand’s, located on the WSU campus.

“These are things that we love that are a little bit of a treat, because otherwise they don't have much distribution. You have to actually go to Pullman to get some of these treats from Ferdinand’s and if you want to put Cougar Gold Viking on the burger to make it a little bit more special, we offer that option.”

The reborn Sonny’s has already grown into a popular destination, not only for travelers but for local folks, Coon said. Partly, it’s because the nearest hangouts are in Lind (half an hour away) or Othello (45 minutes) or Colfax (an hour). The Adams County Sheriff’s Office held its monthly staff meeting there in early November, and because Washtucna schools are on a four-day week, the teachers have taken to stopping off Thursday nights as well.

“We have some buddies that are wheat farmers out of Dusty, and then we have some other friends in Lind. This is actually kind of a great equidistant converging point. They've got their kids and they're able to like, you know, have a meal and have a beer and their kids are just hanging out eating beer floats and too much sugar.”

The Coons have a staff of eight people, all locals. Coon said when she “put out the Bat Signal” that Sonny’s was going to need staff, about 30 people applied right away.

“They said that they needed some help, and another gal that works here I've known for a long time said, ‘Do you want to come work?’ And I said, ‘Sure,’” said Betsy McCoy, who waits tables and pitches in with the cooking. “I had only been here once before they closed down and it was still kind of more of a bar feel. And now it's nice to have the family-friendly and just community feel.”

“What's been really great is seeing everybody's reaction to it being reopened,” said Amy Hille, who manages the front of the house and Sonny’s computer system. “People are just generally so excited and supportive. It's been really nice to see that and to just be able to see how important Sonny's now as a community space.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.