Chad White to close Zona Blanca, citing downtown crime

Celebrity chef Chad White plans to close his flagship Spokane restaurant amid downtown safety concerns.

Zona Blanca Ceviche Bar will close Sept. 29, White announced Friday.

In a written statement shared with local media and city officials, White said his business has struggled because of the state of downtown.

“The increasing crime, visible drug use, and the damage to public and private property have made it harder and harder to maintain a safe environment,” he wrote.

He urged elected officials to take note of the problem.

In an interview, White said that many patrons told him they stopped coming downtown because they no longer feel safe. On Friday nights, he is averaging Tuesday-night-size crowds, he said.

The Baja Californian seafood restaurant opened in 2016 and moved to its current location in the Holley-Mason Building at 157 S. Howard in 2021. The restaurant was robbed of about $6,000 worth of alcohol and cash a few days before it reopened, The Spokesman-Review reported at the time.

White estimates there have been over 20 break-ins since he has been there, including two in the last week. Suspects from both incidents were apprehended from video surveillance, he said.

White said the city needs to make downtown safe for everyone and enforce Proposition 1, an ordinance approved by 75% of Spokane voters last year banning camping near parks, schools and day care centers, which includes most of the city.

The ordinance had not been enforced until about a month ago, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision based out of Grants Pass, Oregon, largely settled questions about its legality.

White said he hasn’t noticed a difference.

“The city owes downtown businesses an apology,” he said. “How much worse does it have to get before the city does something about it?”

White plans to continue using the restaurant space through the end of its lease for catering and special events. He can’t afford to reopen somewhere else because he spent most of his money trying to keep Zona Blanca afloat, he said.

Recognized for his work at Zona Blanca, White was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2020 and 2022. He competed on Season 13 of “Top Chef” on Bravo.

White also helped start Uno Mas Taco Shop and TT’s Old Iron Brewery and Barbecue with locations in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake. He closed his two High Tide Lobster Bar locations in 2022 due to rising lobster prices.

In February, Soulful Soups owner Lauren D’Arienzo announced plans to sell her restaurant, citing crime as a reason after police shot and killed a man outside her business.

Another handful of restaurants that closed in late 2023 attributed declining business to blight and safety concerns, and rising costs from inflation, as reasons for closing.