European influences in Jessie and Susanne Ayala’s foods and operations led to their latest venture, Imbibe, a lunch restaurant, craft cocktail and wine bar in downtown Pasco, just steps away from their first restaurant, Ciao Trattoria.
They began with a food truck, Ciao Wagon, and then opened the two restaurants. They’ve now shifted a third concept into the original food truck.
It’s been dizzying growth in just a few years.
“I’m not looking to add another restaurant right away,” laughed Jessie Ayala, when asked about what’s next – which still includes an eatery at Osprey Pointe Marketplace, an east Pasco mixed-use project that’s well past its original plan for opening.
For now, the Ayalas are focused on “building up and not building out” while they keep making the community aware of their style – “great food, excellent service” – and upfront pricing.
Transparent pricing
The price on the menu is the price on the bill, with tax and gratuity already built in and no line item for a tip on the final ticket.
The Ayalas pay their staff a living wage and servers don’t expect tips.
“We decided to make it part of our concept across the board; it’s who we are,” Susanne Ayala said. It’s unique for the area, especially for their catering bookings.
“If you go on websites for caterers, you will not find pricing anywhere. They want to talk to you and sell you their package,” she said. “We put our prices out there, and if it says $25 a person, that’s all inclusive and there’s no additional charges, including tax.”
Susanne Ayala said it takes the pressure off both the staff and the customer.
“The way my lead server explains it … is, ‘We treat every table the same. It’s not like, ‘Oh, they’re big tippers, I better give them great service.’ Everybody gets the same service and there’s no stress on the server to try to figure that out. And there’s no stress on the customer. The very last thing they do before they leave is the payment, and it’s just sign and go,” she said.
Tipping 15% to 20% on the cost of a meal tends to be the expectation in America, but not elsewhere.
“Being able to carry that concept into the restaurant and the food truck is very European,” Susanne Ayala said. “It does make people uncomfortable at first, like, ‘I have to; I’m so programmed to do this,’ but it’s very refreshing.”
If a customer chooses to tip, it must be in cash because the electronic point-of-sale system isn’t set up to accept additional gratuities.
Most of the pastas offered at Ciao and Imbibe – called “Ciao Favorites” – are $22, including Bolognese, chicken alfredo, wild mushroom ravioli and cannelloni Florentine. Pasta is made in-house or imported from Italy.
The Ayalas say people with gluten sensitivities are generally able to safely eat imported or homemade pasta.
Open since March at 104 N. Fourth Ave., Imbibe has become the couple’s lunch restaurant, catering to local government, hospital and school district workers, and also accommodating overflow in the evening for those patronizing Ciao Trattoria, their dinner-only restaurant.
“For Ciao, if you don’t have a reservation on the weekend, you’re not likely to get in,” Susanne Ayala said. “There’s quite a wait, and now we can send them down (to Imbibe). Our most popular items from Ciao are on this menu and it kind of serves as our bar area for Ciao. It’s got open seating and is a nice base to get together and have cocktails.”
For lunch, Imbibe offers $12 paninis, pastas and salad. Coffees, teas and Italian sodas are also available.
The couple expected to serve the coffee shop crowd a bit more, but that demand has been fulfilled by Café con Arte, which opened just down the road, right before Imbibe opened its doors.
Flavors that pop
Open from 4-9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Imbibe’s lounge has an array of craft cocktails Susanne Ayala is proud to put forward.
“We don’t have brand alcohol. Everything is sourced. I try to stay as local as I can with the spirits. I don’t want Tito’s and Jose Cuervo on my shelf. I want it to be unrecognizable. I hand-select all of them and taste test them up against name brands so you know it’s high quality, and then we fresh juice everything,” she said.
A certified sommelier with years in the food industry, Susanne Ayala said she has a good grasp on how to make flavors pop and that’s been key to creating the cocktail menu, which includes a maple old fashioned, lavender mule and cucumber gin gimlet.
There are a few outdoor tables and the Ayalas hope the city signs off on plans to convert some parking spaces on Fourth Avenue into permanent outdoor seating.
Right now, Ciao is allowed to seat in the neighboring alley on Friday and Saturday nights and it hosts a special event in this space once a month, including a comedy show and musical acts. Tickets can include just the show, or dinner and dessert. Susanne Ayala is also hosting a limoncello-making event in mid-June to kick off the summer.
Burgers in the truck
The food truck that started it all has been rebranded from Ciao Wagon to Pasco Burger Company by Ciao Wagon and is mostly parked on Thursdays through Saturdays at the popular Wheathead Brewing Company in Kennewick.
The couple had been about ready to retire the truck when they got a call from Wheathead’s owner to try coming out there. They’d been serving burgers out of the window at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and had begun testing burgers in the truck instead.
“We told (Wheathead’s) owner we’d go out there one time,” said Susanne Ayala. “The convincing factor was that Swampy’s BBQ had been out there. I know (owner) Ron (Swanby), and he doesn’t go anywhere unless there’s money. So, I thought, if Ron will go out there, I’ll give it a shot.”
Jessie and Susanne Ayala are the owners of Ciao Wagon food truck, Ciao Trattoria and Ciao Catering in Pasco. (Courtesy Ciao Trattoria)Outside of prior commitments, three people run the truck at Wheatland most weekends. The Ayalas employ 15 people across their restaurants and catering business – a number that’s likely to grow when Osprey Pointe opens.
“We know it’s going to happen; I have faith. It’s just about getting the timing right,” said Susanne Ayala. The couple plans to open a whiskey bar with gourmet burgers, shifting those menu items from the food truck.
Destination restaurants
While word has spread about Ciao and Imbibe, the restaurants still tend to be a destination, and that’s OK.
“When people discover us, they love us,” Jessie Ayala said. The couple said they also benefit from travelers who fly into the Tri-Cities airport and notice their restaurant is two miles away.
“We know the word is out and people want to come here,” she said. “But there’s still a ton of people who don’t know about us, ‘What? An Italian restaurant in downtown Pasco?’”
The couple hopes to keep drawing other high-quality restaurants to the area, figuring a high tide floats all boats.
“It changes the perception that you’re not just going to get tacos in downtown Pasco. We can be collaborative versus competitive,” said Susanne Ayala.
Imbibe: 104 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco; imbibepasco.com; 857-242-6669.