This BELOVED Burger Spot Started as a Food Truck on the River in Kennewick, WA

Some of the best restaurants in America start with the most unlikely origin stories. Eat Foodies — Kennewick, Washington’s beloved locally-owned craft kitchen — didn’t begin with four walls and a dining room. It started on the water. 🚤

Back in 2012, founder Joanna Wilson and her family launched “Floatin’ Foodies,” a food truck operating on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, serving hungry locals cruising through the Tri-Cities region of Washington State.

By 2015, demand had grown too big for a pontoon boat — and Foodies’ first brick-and-mortar location landed in Historic Downtown Kennewick, bringing the same water-born energy and house-made soul to dry land.

The secret to Foodies’ rise wasn’t just the burgers — it was the obsessive commitment to doing things in-house. 🧑‍🍳

From day one, the kitchen built its identity around house-made seasonings, fresh sauces, and scratch-made recipes — a philosophy that turned every burger, sandwich, and side into something that felt genuinely crafted, not assembled.

Specializing in pastrami, pulled pork, and grilled tri-tip, the menu carved out a niche that went far beyond the standard burger-joint playbook, offering a fun, creative spin on classic American comfort food that kept locals coming back week after week.

When the original locations unexpectedly closed in February 2024, the community outcry was immediate — proof of just how deeply Foodies had embedded itself into the fabric of Kennewick’s dining culture.

“It’s time for me to leave the food & beverage service industry,” founder Joanna Wilson wrote — but the story wasn’t over.

Within weeks, a new women-owned business team stepped forward to carry the torch, purchasing both the Kennewick and Richland locations with the same passion and love for food that built the brand in the first place.

Today, Eat Foodies continues to serve the Tri-Cities at its Columbia Park location in Kennewick and a second outpost in Richland — and if the loyal local fan base has anything to say about it, this kitchen isn’t going anywhere.

Food Highlights

• The Black and Blue Burger 🔥: One of the most talked-about items on the menu — a beef patty topped with bold blue cheese crumbles and blackening seasoning.

• The All-American Burger: A classic beef patty with cheddar, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, yellow mustard, and dill pickles on a brioche bun.

• The Mushroom Swiss Burger 🍄: A beef patty topped with sautéed mushrooms and melted Swiss cheese.

• The Rancher Burger 🤠: A consistently popular order among regulars — built on a hearty beef patty with bold, Western-inspired toppings and the kind of house-made sauce that ties the whole thing together.

• The New Yorker: One of Foodies’ most-photographed and raved-about items — a beef burger loaded with pastrami, the kitchen’s signature specialty, making this a dream sandwich for deli-style burger lovers. 🥩

• The Southwest Burger 🌶️: A bold, spice-forward burger featuring house seasoning and fresh toppings with a Southwestern kick — a favorite among those who like a little fire in their bite.

• The Western Burger 🤙: A generously sized beef patty stacked with crispy onion rings right on the burger.

• Foodies Brick & Mortar Burger: The namesake signature — a house-crafted burger built on Foodies’ own made-from-scratch seasoning and sauce recipe that has been a staple since the original Kennewick brick-and-mortar opened its doors. 🏠

Eat Foodies carries the breezy, laid-back spirit of its origins right on the Columbia River — casual, welcoming, and completely unpretentious.

The Kennewick location on Columbia Park Trail places you close to the water, keeping that original Floatin’ Foodies energy alive in a comfortable, family-friendly setting.

It’s the kind of spot where counter service meets genuine warmth, and where the smell of grilled beef and house seasonings hits you before you even reach the door.

Regulars consistently describe the vibe as “a nice lunch spot” with “spot-on service” — a place that feels like the community built it, because in many ways, it did. 🌊