Serial restaurateur Michael Miller knows a good dining spot when he sees one.  

Miller, founder of Stick+Stone Wood-Fired Pizza in Richland and Proof Gastropub in Kennewick, spied restaurant seats for sale outside the short-lived Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Burden Boulevard in Pasco.  

The 5,000-sqare-foot restaurant itself was idle. Dickey’s opened in 2018 and closed in 2019 with its two peers after franchisee Dan Pelfrey ran into financial difficulties. 

Miller bought some of the Dickey’s equipment and then, buoyed by the success of the original Proof Gastropub, signed a lease for the like-new space on March 1.  

The timing wasn’t great, he said.  

Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order hit just a few weeks later. The stay-home order closed “nonessential” business, including restaurants, to curb the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. In late August, Benton and Franklin counties remained in a modified version of Phase 1 of the recovery, the most restrictive, because of high local infection rates. 

As Miller’s team transformed Dickey’s into a pub with bar and night spot, the original Proof Gastropub, 924 N. Columbia Center Blvd., was in survival mode.  

Unable to host in-person dining at its third-story perch, Proof pivoted to pickup and delivery service.  

It’s not sustainable in the long term, but the trickle of business keeps the lights on and workers employed, Miller said. The business received a forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program that helped preserve its 50 or so jobs.  

The Pasco restaurant opened in August, working under the modified Phase 1 requirements in effect in Franklin County. It offers pickup service and outdoor seating on the sidewalk and a converted parking lot. Miller is negotiating for delivery service as well.  

When restrictions lift, it will shift to a more typical mode of operating, with indoor seating, bar and a 21-and-over late-night gatherings around a pair of karaoke rooms.  

Miller, who is partners with his parents in both Proof Gastropubs, said it cost about $200,000 to open the new Pasco location. He split his team and is actively looking to hire workers. Hiring in a pandemic has been tricky, he said. 

“It wasn’t as easy to find people this time. But we are still hiring here and there,” he said. 

The new Proof spot is the second time Miller and his team have taken over second-generation restaurant space, meaning it was built out before they moved in. 

The Proof Gastropub on Columbia Center Boulevard was partly built but never occupied. The plumbing, wiring and other costly gear were already in place though. 

After building Stick + Stone Wood-Fired Pizza from scratch, he was grateful to avoid the upfront cost. 

“You save a ton of money when you find a spot that’s more than a vanilla shell,” he said. Stick+Stone is now owned by an employee who helped Miller get it started. 

The Pasco edition of Proof Gastropub shares a menu with Kennewick, though the distinct restaurants will have their own weekly specials. Proof’s niche is serving pub fare – burgers, steaks, salads, fish and chips – made from high quality ingredients. 

The restaurant caters to young families and couples on date nights in west Pasco, as well as visitors using the nearby sports complex and HAPO Center. 

“Pasco is booming. It’s got a ton of people and not a lot of Proof-type dining options. We saw it as a good opportunity,” Miller said. 

Miller also owns Power Up Arcade Bar next to the Kennewick Proof. It is closed because of the pandemic but will reopen when it is allowed under the state’s Safe Start program.