Open & Shut: Sea Galley and Rice Bowl closing, plus a new fast food chicken spot

This is an installment of an occasional series in the Anchorage Daily News taking a quick look at the comings and goings of businesses in Southcentral Alaska. If you know of a business opening or closing in the area, send a note to reporter Annie Zak at azak@adn.com.

OPEN

Raising Cane's: This fast-food chicken finger restaurant is set to open at the Tikahtnu Commons shopping center in East Anchorage, next to Olive Garden.

The restaurant will be about 4,000 square feet, said Jim Stephens, vice president of California-based Browman Development, which is part-owner of Tikahtnu Commons.

He didn't have an exact opening date but said he believes it will open in the next couple of months. Construction is underway.

Raising Cane's is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has locations around the country. Panda Express is the franchisee that will operate the one in Tikahtnu Commons, Stephens said.

La Potato: This pop-up restaurant in the former TapRoot building at 3300 Spenard Road will have its grand opening weekend on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3.

The spot is a collaboration between Anchorage beer, wine and spirits shop La Bodega and McCarthy restaurant The Potato. Read more about La Potato in our recent coverage here.

Kat's Epic Trail Bites: This Anchorage energy snack company has been in business for five years as a wholesaler, and now has a retail operation of its own.

Kat Hubble, the owner, opened in a 1,200-square foot brick-and-mortar location in a strip mall at 1120 Huffman Road last month to sell her gluten-free, high-protein energy snacks. She also sells coffee.

"I just had a really strong feeling that's what I was supposed to do," she said when asked why she ventured into retail, "and so I followed up on that feeling."

Coffee huts and shops all around Anchorage and elsewhere in Alaska sell the trail bites.

SHUT

Sea Galley and Pepper Mill: Seafood restaurant Sea Galley in Midtown Anchorage is closing after 36 years, according to its Facebook page.

"Sea Galley will be hanging up our sails," the Oct. 8 post said. Oct. 21 is the restaurant's last day of business.

The post didn't say why it's closing. Managers at the restaurant, located at 4101 Credit Union Drive, were not reachable for comment Friday.

Pepper Mill, right next to Sea Galley, is also closing on Oct. 21, its Facebook page said.

Rice Bowl: This Chinese restaurant at 810 E. Sixth Ave. closed its doors Friday, Oct. 12, said manager Tiffany Huang.

The reason for closing is because the restaurant's lease at the building expired, she said.

"There's no plan to reopen Rice Bowl at another location for right now," according to an Oct. 2 post on the restaurant's Facebook page. That's because the owner might relocate to the Lower 48, Huang said.

Bed Bath & Beyond: The Bed Bath & Beyond location at 3090 Mountain View Drive is having a storewide clearance as it prepares to shut its doors.

Yellow signs were plastered all over the front of the store on Friday, one of which said, "lease expiring." A spokesperson could not be reached to comment on the store's closure.

There's another Bed Bath & Beyond in Anchorage, at 601 E. Dimond Blvd.

Scan Basics: This lifestyle and office furniture store in a strip mall at 701 W. 36th Ave. is set to close its doors. The business will consolidate with another store, Scan Home, just a few blocks away at 100 W. 34th Ave., which will remain open.

"The general business climate the last couple years has been very challenging," said owner Carl Propes, when asked why Scan Basics is closing. "And secondly, it's going to simplify things … we'll all be in one location."

He said he doesn't know at this point when the last day will be. The business has been at the 36th Avenue location under one name or another since 1985, he said.