Local

Six restaurant chains opening locations in Pierce County

Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization

This collection of stories highlights restaurant chains opening or expanding new locations in Pierce County. Both national and local franchises are coming to places like Tacoma and Puyallup.

Chipotle and Taco Street are some of the new restaurants coming to the Tacoma Mall. The Oregon burger chain Killer Burger faces delays in opening South Sound locations, and Wienerschnitzel will open inside a Walmart in Puyallup later this year. Panera Bread is building in Bonney Lake and Chili Thai now manages a waterfront restaurant in Gig Harbor.

The Portland-based chain Killer Burger serves a curated menu of fresh-beef burgers, including the popular Peanut Butter Pickle Bacon Burger, pictured here as a “fatty,” or double-patty. The company hopes to open a franchise in Tacoma, Wash.

NO. 1: OREGON BURGER CHAIN’S SOUTH SOUND EXPANSION PLANS HIT WITH DEVELOPMENT SETBACK

CEO told The News Tribune the chain is still “actively exploring new real estate opportunities” for sites in Tacoma, Puyallup, Olympia and more. | Published April 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Debbie Cockrell

The seafood combination at Gig Harbor Thai Cuisine features a mix of seafood sautéed in chili sauce, mushrooms, baby corn, bell peppers, onion and basil, according to their menu. By Chili Thai

NO. 2: PIERCE COUNTY THAI CHAIN NOW RUNNING WATERFRONT RESTAURANT WITH NEW MENU

The waterfront Thai restaurant now has over 80 dishes on the menu and new booths inside, according to the restaurant chain’s manager. | Published May 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

Construction work takes place on the interior of the former MOD Pizza location at the Westgate South shopping center on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 3: A NEW CHIPOTLE IS EXPECTED TO OPEN SOON IN TACOMA. HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

Work started at the site in May, according to workers. The chain says the new location will open this year. | Published May 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Debbie Cockrell

The site of a new commercial building along State Route 410 in Bonney Lake. The site is expected to contain a Panera Bread, an Xfinity store, a dental office and another retail space that has not been claimed yet. By Izzie Lund, ilund@thenewstribune.com

NO. 4: WHAT’S THAT CONSTRUCTION BY CHIPOTLE ALONG STATE ROUTE 410? HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

The site is located at 20502 98th St. E. along state Route 410, next to Chipotle in Mountain View Marketplace. | Published June 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

The Tacoma Mall Food Court entrance, seen Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. The mall’s online directory lists Taco Street as “Coming Soon” to the Food Court. By Brian Hayes

NO. 5: RESTAURANT KNOWN FOR TACOS NOW ON TACOMA MALL’S STORE DIRECTORY AS ‘COMING SOON’

It would be the second Tacoma location for the business. | Published June 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Debbie Cockrell

Bacon Ranch Chili Cheese Fries are a popular calorie bomb at Wienerschnitzel.

NO. 6: POPULAR HOT DOG RESTAURANT CHAIN OPENING IN PUYALLUP. IT HAS CHILI CHEESE FRIES

The new Puyallup restaurant will be part of the world’s largest hot dog franchise. | Published June 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sephora Charles

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.