Go Philly keeps Lakewood site humming with new Tacoma site to open in summer
Story has been updated to include new details on apartment development and the project’s amended MFTE.
Another change is coming to Go Philly Cheesesteaks & Wings’ business model.
Jan. 29 is the last day of operation for its Tacoma location at 1402 Tacoma Ave. S. Its Lakewood operation, 7421 Custer Road W., will remain open, with expanded hours, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
The changes are happening as the business readies its new Tacoma site, 1524 Tacoma Ave. to open this summer. Plans for the move have been in the works for the duration of the pandemic.
Ethos Development of Portland in 2019 received an eight-year multifamily property tax exemption to develop market-rate units at 14th Street and Tacoma Avenue, site of the current Tacoma Go Philly location.
The project early in January was approved by City Council for an amended agreement to switch to a 12-year MFTE, including 32 units qualifying as affordable in the program.
“The property that we’re at in downtown Tacoma ... their project had been delayed so we were able to stay longer,” said Jason Kinlow, Go Philly’s owner, in a recent phone interview with The News Tribune.
According to its apartments’ website, “The Moraine is a planned Opportunity Zone project in Tacoma, Washington consisting of 171 apartments, a full suite of amenities including a gym, a media room, a roof deck, billiards room and a common kitchen. The project will feature a contemporary mountain lodge aesthetic and provide views of Mount Rainier and Commencement Bay from many residential units.”
Kinlow’s Go Philly restaurant has been at the location since May 2013.
“They’re about to start construction next month where we’re presently at,” Kinlow said, “so we’ll be converging all of our dealings at the Lakewood location in the meantime.”
The new Tacoma location will not have indoor dining but will focus on walk-up/pickup orders, he said, in the style of a Dick’s or Frisko Freeze.
The new site was most recently the home of Vintage Lighting Sales. Kinlow bought the property in early 2020, in what turned out to be the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The design of the building is really unique,” he said. “We’re not going to change the actual structure in and of itself. But we will be doing some things to try to make it more user friendly for those who order online to come pick up the order and keep going.
“Eventually we’d like to have some some outdoor seating,” he added, if adjacent land is acquired.
For now, he’s focused on his current Tacoma site’s final days and then keeping Lakewood in operation as construction unfolds at the new Tacoma restaurant.
“Staffing issues have been critical for us; it’s been tough. And so we’re trying to look at this more of instead of a setback, an opportunity for us to kind of evolve and bring all our staff over to Lakewood,” he said.
“We’re definitely in it for the long haul as far as Lakewood is concerned,” he added. “But in the meantime, we’re working really fiercely to finish up and reopen in downtown this summer.”
Go Philly Cheesesteaks & Wings
▪ Current location: 1402 Tacoma Ave S., Tacoma; last day Jan. 29
▪ Second site open now: 7421 Custer Road W., Lakewood
▪ New location opening Summer 2022: 1524 Tacoma Ave., Tacoma
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
