Before the restaurant ever had a name on the door, it already had a history – one built on loyalty, trust and relationships that felt more like family than business.

That foundation comes from the people behind the Roadrunner Restaurant and Lounge: longtime chef Phouty Vongsaly, his wife, Willow, and business owner Laurie Winchel. Together, they brought years of experience and shared values into a new venture rooted in community.

The Vongsalys opened the Pasco restaurant on Oct. 30, off Highway 395 in the King City area north of Pasco at 2125 E. Hillsboro Road. The building most recently housed an Indian food restaurant, but inside, the space has been reimagined with the look and feel of a classic American diner.

Since opening, the Roadrunner has quickly earned praise as a go-to breakfast spot, drawing positive Google and blog reviews. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, with Vongsaly leading a staff of eight in the kitchen and dining room.

An experienced mentor

A key part of the Roadrunner’s early momentum is the guidance of Winchel, an experienced bar and restaurant owner. She owns two well-known local establishments – Jackalope Bar & Grill in Kennewick and the Longbranch Saloon in Finley – and brings a hands-on approach shaped by years in the industry.

For Winchel, the formula for success is simple: treat everyone like family. That philosophy, she said, has been central to building loyal customers and stable teams – and it’s the same approach guiding the Roadrunner as it finds its footing in the community.

“Everybody works well together,” Winchel said. “We try to make our places like a family. Not just with the employees, but the customers too.”

Her family includes the Vongsalys.

“Willow (who has worked for Winchel in her bars) has been in my life since she was 21,” Winchel said. “Phouty was looking for something to own. He and I have known each other a while.”

Indeed, Phouty has developed a great reputation working for a number of area restaurants in the region, including helping Bookwalter’s Fable restaurant and bar in Richland develop its menu.

Winchel was managing the transition of the restaurant at the old Tri-City Country Club over to The Edge, and she needed a chef.

“His name popped up from a friend I know. He was looking for something new,” she said.

That was when Winchel first met him. More importantly, it was when Phouty and Willow, then a server, first crossed paths.

They both admitted that they didn’t really like each other at first, but eventually the ice melted between them.

Phouty has always wanted to own his own place. Winchel understood this.

“It’s one thing to give 20 hours of work to your boss,” Winchel said. “It’s another to work 20 hours for yourself.”

Now in a position to help others in business, Winchel knew what to do when her Realtor friend told her about the empty restaurant space out at King City.

Winchel called the Vongsalys, and they checked it out.

“I looked around, and this place screamed breakfast,” Phouty said. “I could see it as an American diner.”

That was the answer Winchel wanted to hear.

“If he had said he wanted to open a five-star French restaurant there, I wouldn’t have done this,” she said. “I said, ‘This needs to be the best breakfast place in the Tri-Cities.’ If he had said no, I wouldn’t have done this. No. 1, I’m not running a restaurant. No. 2, I’m a bar girl. That’s what I do.”

So Winchel signed the lease for the entire building. Phouty and Willow sublease the restaurant from her.

“They own the restaurant. That is their baby,” Winchel said.

The couple is very appreciative of the opportunity.

“We became partners with her. She’s been a big influence in my life,” Willow said. “We’re hoping to eventually buy this place. Hopefully, that happens next year.”

Because Winchel already had a liquor license, she runs and owns the lounge in the back of the restaurant with a staff of four.

Life of a restaurant owner

Phouty spent the early part of his adult years traveling the world as a professional snowboarder, making various stops throughout Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

But eventually, an athlete’s skills can’t stay at such a high level and that person must find something else to do.

For Phouty, it was cooking.

“I’ve always loved cooking,” he said. “I worked at the old Bonanza restaurant here during high school for three years.”

He went to culinary school in 2003. He worked in a number of restaurants in California — including in a sushi restaurant kitchen for a year for free just to get the experience.

Working as a chef can be a nomadic life, and Vongsaly eventually moved back to the area, where he toiled in a number of local restaurant kitchens.

“As a chef, you have to get your experience,” he said. “And there has always been a business plan to open a restaurant. My head has always had the numbers for this, and I’d like to be permanently part of this community at King City.

“What do I like about being a chef? First, it’s the food. I love giving people good food. You hear a lot more from customers if the food is bad. All chefs want to give people good food.”

Phouty, who is a 1993 Connell High School graduate, loves the location at King City. He sees many of his old friends from Connell – farmers, truckers and longtime pals.

“He knows a lot of the customers from there,” Winchel said. “And we know a lot of them, too, from them being customers at Longbranch and Jackalope.”

To get the word out, Willow distributed flyers at the businesses all along the King City corridor.

“There were a lot of people who had no idea we had opened,” she said. “We need to get relevant.”

“All of this,” Phouty said, “so far has been word of mouth.”

Two babies

Opening and running a restaurant can be a challenge. A number of restaurants in the Tri-Cities have closed down in the last six months.

“Owning a restaurant isn’t easy,” Winchel said. “The rising minimum wage in this state is the biggest thing. In turn, the rising food prices are a problem. If we can keep a handle on the costs, keep the people coming in, this will work. It’s a gamble, but it’s a good move.”

Three days after opening Roadrunner, Willow gave birth to a baby boy, named Sunny.

Willow has a much more important job now, but she helps out at the restaurant when and where she can.

“I like meeting people, the customers,” she said. 

The key for Roadrunner’s success is the food.

“I’ve always liked breakfast,” Phouty said. “I knew when I saw this place that it would at least be a breakfast place.”

The most popular menu items are the Denver omelets and the homemade gravy that goes with biscuits and gravy.

For lunch or dinner, Phouty touts the cheeseburgers and French dip. On Friday nights, the staff prepares a prime rib dinner.

Phouty is also known for his pho, which is also on the menu.

Located in the middle of a rich agricultural area, the couple plans on using as much local food as possible in their dishes.

The Vongsalys are excited. 

“Owning a restaurant is about timing,” he said. “To open the restaurant, what is it you have to do next? You walk in and turn everything on. Get the kitchen ready. You also plan for three days down the road. Now you’re also worrying about the payroll, and you’re also paying the bills.”

Looking over at his young son, he said: “This is like having two babies.”

Roadrunner Restaurant and Lounge: 2125 E. Hillsboro Road. Pasco. Hours are 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday; 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. For to-go orders, call 509-380-0048.