Konala LLC, a Post Falls-based fast-food franchise known for its protein-packed bowls, is officially going coast to coast.
The company, which does business as Konala Protein Bowls & Salads, inked an exclusive statewide agreement with a franchisee in New Jersey, says co-owner Trace Miller.
The agreement with New Jersey-based entrepreneur Anthony J. Menicola involves at least 10 locations throughout the state that are expected to be developed over a five-year period.
With that agreement, the company now has 18 franchise locations in development, all of which have come to fruition since Konala started working with Alexandria, Virginia-based franchise development company Fransmart LLC in November of 2024.
“They grew Five Guys and Qdoba,” Miller says of Fransmart. “And they were early investors in Cava, Sweetgreen … and other large brands.”
The company recently signed agreements in Montana, with three locations going into Kalispell, Bozeman, and Missoula, and in Utah, with five locations in the Salt Lake City area, says Miller.
Letters of intent have been signed for another 12 to 15 franchise locations and are expected to be completed in July, he adds.
Konala is also developing new corporate-owned locations in the Reno area, including a confirmed store in the Kiley Ranch Shops in Spanish Springs, Nevada, which is expected to open in July of 2027. An additional free-standing location in Reno is expected to open in 2026.
Founded by Miller and his wife, Jammie, in 2023, Konala currently operates three corporate-owned restaurants, each generating $2 million in annual revenue, with total employment of over 70 people, Miller says.
Konala opened its first location in Post Falls, at 107 E. Seventh, in May of 2023. The second corporate-owned location opened in Coeur d’Alene, at 106 E. Appleway, in August 2024. Konala’s Spokane location opened at a former Carl’s Jr. location, at 6740 N. Division, in January.
The chain will open its second Spokane corporate location in the University District at 1028 N. Hamilton. The 2,000-square-foot ground-floor commercial space in the Matilda Building, formerly occupied by Forza Coffee Co., is slated to open next January.
The Matilda Building is an 88,000-square-foot mixed-use building with main floor retail space and three stories of apartment units.
Miller, a 2024 Journal of Business Rising Star, says the menu and building blueprint, originally designed by Spokane-based HDG Architecture, will remain the same.
“We keep a simple, high-quality menu focused on high protein served quickly with a drive thru. That’s always going to be our core,” says Miller. “Our mission from the very beginning was to make healthy eating as delicious and convenient as possible. The speed and quality of food is always going to be our priority.”