Facing landlord issues, ‘old-school’ Meridian restaurant to move after 19 years
For nearly two decades, hungry diners have pulled up a chair at The Griddle, a breakfast-and-lunch institution that has expanded across the Boise area.
But by the middle of next year, The Griddle won’t be cookin’ anymore at its first Idaho location.
The restaurant at 2310 E. Overland Road in Meridian plans to move — to 1181 S. Silverstone Way.
Ashley Ferguson, who owns the regional chain with her husband, David Aboud, said the decision involved a challenge that many restaurants encounter: the property owner.
“We just had some issues we could not come to terms with our landlord,” she said. “So it just seemed like the best thing to do was make a move now instead of being in this same position in five years.”
“It was not an easy decision by any means,” she added. “We’ve been through a lot there.”
Customers have time to wrap their heads around the change. (And their mouths around a few more signature Golden Gate turkey sandwiches.) The Griddle has until May 31, 2026, to exit.
For diners who transition to the new spot, there will be benefits. The Griddle on Overland has no patio. The new spot will have three patios: two out front, one in the back. Plus, parking should be easier at the new restaurant at Eagle View Landing, Ferguson says.
It’s really not so far away, either: “Maybe, maybe, half a mile,” Ferguson said.
“We wanted to stay on that side of town,” she explained. “We have a lot of guests. Obviously, we have 20 years’ worth. We didn’t want to inconvenience them.”
Specializing in comfort food, The Griddle has become one of the Boise area’s most successful local restaurant chains. Founded in 1948 in Winnemucca, Nevada — where the original restaurant still operates — the brand came to Idaho when Ferguson and Aboud moved to Meridian to open the Overland Road store.
Ferguson chalks up the brand’s success not just to the dependable menu, but to how staff interacts with patrons.
“I’d like to think of it as old-school service,” she said. “And I think that people that appreciate that find us, and they come back. I mean, we have countless regulars.
“We try to have the philosophy that you come in as a stranger, and you leave as a friend ... And we try to learn people’s names. Those things that you’re not going to get necessarily everywhere else.”
This week, The Griddle will open its sixth Treasure Valley restaurant, debuting in Caldwell at 616 Main St. It’s in the Tilian apartments complex next to Indian Creek Plaza.
Two additional Griddle locations could be coming in the next year or so, too — in Boise and Twin Falls.
When Aboud and Ferguson pulled up stakes and relocated to Idaho all those years ago, they clearly found a welcoming new home for their dining concept.
“We are, at heart, a mom-and-pop restaurant,” Ferguson said. “And we want to be family-oriented. And we just think that the Boise community is that. And so we came here.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 4:00 AM.