New restaurant opens on Sherman Avenue

If you have a hankering for a local establishment that serves breakfast and lunch in a friendly, inviting atmosphere, you might want to check out the Coral Cafe at 1524 E Sherman Avenue. 

"One of the most popular items on the menu is our biscuits and gravy," co-owner and manager Danny Griffin said. "Another dish people really like is our Eggs Benedict — the hollandaise is out of this world. We actually call it Eggs Bennet, which is named after our son Bennet. People also like our Clarence Country Skillet, named after our other son, which has sausage, potatoes, pepper onions and a side of gravy." 

Danny's wife Celine is co-owner of the cafe, part-time hostess and a full-time mom raising their two boys, 

Coral Cafe may be new to Coeur d' Alene, but it has a long family history. 

"My grandparents, Dan and Irene Frydrychowski, started the Coral Cafe in Burbank, California, in 1957. They had it for 33 years and sold it in 1990," Danny said. "I kept the name as a tribute to them." 

Danny has close to 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, having worked at Cedars in Coeur d'Alene and Belle's Brunch House, where he served as manager for 6 years. 

The staff at the Coral Cafe includes head chef Andy Coleman, baker Cheryl Huetter, and Danny Frydrychowski. 

"We're really blessed to have Andy. He's been in the industry for 35 years — 27 of them were at Cedars," Danny said. "Cheryl makes all of our biscuits, cinnamon rolls, granola, dressing and our Lemon Poppyseed Cake. My uncle Danny started working at the original Coral Cafe when he was 10. He came out of retirement to help get this place running." 

Danny said the cafe's location is ideal. 

"We love that we're on a part of Sherman that's undergoing a lot of improvements — it's a nice way for us to be able to contribute to helping keep it a nice area," Danny said. "It's also nice being in the residential area too. A lot of people who are living here have come in and told us that they're excited to have a new breakfast place on the street." 

The Griffins also want to establish a community outreach program. 

"We're talking with the Court of Christ Academy High School about a weekly lunch forum," Celine said.  

It is not just locals who are eating at the Coral Cafe. Many, Celine said, have come from Washington and Montana.  

And like all restaurants, repeat customers are key to success. 

"I saw a couple standing outside the cafe last Sunday and asked if they were visiting Coeur d'Alene, and they said yes and that they were going to the airport after they ate," Celine said. "When I sat them down, they said, 'Oh, this is where we sat yesterday. We liked the food and atmosphere so much that we wanted to come back again."  

The Coral Cafe is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

    The Coral Cafe at 1524 E Sherman Ave opened on June 11.
  

Now the TidBits  

New and Upcoming 

• Golden Rule Brake at 3627 N. Government Way in Coeur d'Alene is having a soft opening on July 24.

• Les Schwab Tire Center is opening on July 29 at 1656 N. Nicholson Center in Post Falls.

• The Crescent Moon Bakery at 315 E Walnut in Coeur d'Alene is now open.

• Dragon Fly Support Services, a mental health and substance use counseling facility, is now open at 601 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.  

• Sierra Ranch Chili in the Silver Lake Mall is now open.

• The Coral Cafe is open at 1524 E. Sherman Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.

• The Mad Baby Thrift and Consign is open at 5380 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.

• Vintage Antique Mall is now open at 7352 N. Government Way in Dalton Gardens. 

• People’s Waffle, 400 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d’Alene, is open. 

• The Spill the Tea and Benzo Box at Greensferry Road and Seltice Way in Post Falls is open. 

• Hyatt Place, a 151-room hotel, 1213 E. Fourth Ave. in Post Falls, is now open. 

Ongoing Projects    

• A state-of-the-art pickleball facility, The Flying Pickle, is coming to The Pointe at Post Falls at 140 N. Beck Road.   

• Mor Furniture for Less, one of the West Coast’s largest furniture retailers, is opening a showroom this summer at the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden.  

• American Universal Storage is planned for Spirit Lake along Highway 41, across from the Jiffi Stop.    

• The Ross Point Gas Station is under construction at 310 N. Ross Point Road in Post Falls.   

• Coeur Dance Arts is a new dance studio under development at 4131 Early Dawn Ave. Suite 105B, Post Falls. Classes are expected to begin mid-summer; check coeurdancearts.com.    

• Jefe's Tacos and Tequila has filed for its business license. The opening date is undetermined at this time.    

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building's targeted finish date is this summer.    

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026. 

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The project's start and completion dates haven't been determined     

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Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Bob at [email protected].