Trinity owner to add new restaurant on Main Street

The owner of Trinity at City Beach is making plans for a new restaurant at the former Truby's Health Mart.

The decision came following plans for the expansion of the Best Western Edgewater Resort, which the Trinity rents from. Once the hotel comes down, Trinity at City Beach will be closed until the new hotel is constructed. However, Trinity owner Justin Dick is hoping the new restaurant will help fill the gap.

Tear-down was scheduled for Sept. of this year, Dick said, but after he had moved forward with plans for the new restaurant, that teardown is now expected in 2022 or 2023.

Operating the new restaurant at 113 Main Street in addition to Trinity and Jalapenos, which he co-owns, will be a challenge, Dick said. However, it’s one he’s ready to take on and come out stronger for.

“I needed another restaurant like I needed a hole in my head,” Dick joked, “but in another way it’s kind of a blessing in disguise.”

Dick opened Trinity shortly after the 2008 recession, he said and, despite that economic downturn, managed to make it work by listening to his customers and adjusting to feedback, he said.

“I never expected [Trinity] to be a family restaurant, a place where grandma, grandpa, son and daughter-in-law could break bread. We’re printing 90-100 kids menus a day,” he said, “which is exciting to me, because I’m serving the next generation of my customers.”

Having weathered the aftermath of the Great Recession, Dick said he believes he’s prepared for the challenges ahead this time as well.

The new restaurant, and the market it will open under, certainly presents its fair share of challenges. Dick noted that across the food service industry, down to the factories that supply restaurants, thousands of workers are missing. That means supply is unstable, and every day is “a little funky” for restaurant owners.

The housing crisis has also significantly impacted food service workers, who are increasingly being priced out of homes near their work.

While some areas like Coeur d’Alene already started building more apartments before housing demand skyrocketed in the past year, Sandpoint is still working to catch up, Dick said.

“As you start moving to more affordable places, [such as Clark Fork], transportation becomes a huge issue,” Dick said. “Inclimate weather is part of our game six to eight months out of the year.”

Aside from staffing, being able to get the restaurant in working order is an ordeal in itself, he said

“I probably picked up the last contractor available in North Idaho,” Dick said. “I’m really lucky I have the support base of my customers.”

Although there’s “a lot of work to be done,” Dick said he hopes to have the new restaurant running by Jan. 1, 2022.

While many of the details are still being worked out, he said he plans to cater to customer needs, creating a “melting pot” to help locals feel at home while still providing a unique experience for tourists. Although tourists provide a big portion of annual revenue, providing for the community is also important, he said.

“The locals are the ones that keep your lights on the rest of the year,” Dick said.