The Tri-Cities' favorite homegrown barbecue joint is moving out of the Richland spot where it all started. 

Porter’s Real Barbecue announced on Facebook it will move the Richland restaurant to a new strip mall at 1080 George Washington Way, near Homewood Suites by Hilton. 

The original Porter’s at The Parkway will close by the end of May. 

The move doesn’t affect Porter’s Kennewick or Pasco locations. 

Porter’s said it is looking forward to a new building with a custom interior. The new restaurant will be larger, with more parking, a private event room, patio and a catering center. 

The new 11,000-square-foot shell building on George Washington Way has room for up to seven individual tenants. 

Vandervert Developments LLC of Spokane is the building owner. 

O’Brien Construction Company Inc. of Kennewick was the general contractor. 

Russell C. Page Architects of Spokane was the architect. 

Brothers Porter and Reed Kinney launched Porter’s as a food truck at Richland’s John Dam Plaza in 2014. Within two years, it was a brick-and-mortar restaurant in The Parkway.  

Continued demand prompted it to invest in a 3,000-square-foot production kitchen at the Richland Airport and expand the brand first to Kennewick, 1022 N. Columbia Center Blvd., and then to Pasco, 7425 Sandifur Parkway, near Road 68. 

“We’re moving forward in a way that we feel will be best for our family, employees and customers! We hope to make this transition as seamless as possible,” it said. 

Food Network star Guy Fieri featured Porter's Real Barbecue on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2019.