The Hub restaurant opening brings ‘local flavor’ to Puyallup

The Hub at Puyallup officially opened its doors to the public on Friday.

Located on 214 39th Ave. SW near the South Hill Mall, the Hub serves pizza, hamburgers, salads, sandwiches and other entrees and is part of the Harmon Brewing Co., manned by local co-owners Pat Nagle and Carole Ford.

The choice to build the restaurant on South Hill felt like a natural next step, said Nagle.

“We like the demographic, the growth, the traffic,” he said. “We’ve never really been near a mall, and we’re hoping to bring a local flavor.”

The Hub at Puyallup is the third Hub restaurant to open, following locations in Tacoma and Gig Harbor. The company also operates the Harmon Restaurant and Harmon Taproom in Tacoma.

“We wanted to branch out our Hub concept, which brings along the brewery with it,” Nagle said.

Along with the Harmon brews, the Hub will serve up local brews and feature a variety of craft beers. A full cocktail bar is available, and 12 flat screen TVs provide entertainment. Nagle hopes the restaurant will appeal to sports crowds and be a place people come with friends.

“We’re trying to build family on our team, and we want our team to build a family with our customers,” Nagle said.

The building was formerly home to Rio Blanco, a Mexican restaurant, and went through many changes during its construction into the Hub, which included knocking out walls to make a more open atmosphere.

Now, local art hangs on the restaurant’s walls while music plays in the background. Nagle hopes its local ties will make the Hub stand out in an area dense with dining options.

“We’re not a franchise — we’re a small operation, but we are growing,” Nagle said. “Puyallup lent itself as a natural next step.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:06 AM with the headline "The Hub restaurant opening brings ‘local flavor’ to Puyallup."