6 minute read
HE GOT HERE AS FAST AS HE COULD
He Got Here Fast as
as He Could
As Flathead Valley restauranteur Pat Carloss puts the finishing touches on his newest venture, Mercantile Steak and the KM Bar in downtown Kalispell, he reflects on how a kid from southern Louisiana found his way to the Flathead and what still makes it a great place to call home.
&Q A
You opened Tupelo Grille
in Whitefish in 1995, after operating a restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming. But how did you end up out west in the first place?
PC: I got a job in Yellowstone in the summer of ’85. My brother had gotten a job and was there for about two weeks before he convinced me to come out. [That brother, Kevin Carloss, eventually opened Cafe Zydeco in Bozeman, Billings, Helena, and Missoula, and still operates the Bozeman restaurant.] I hitched a ride to Denver with a college buddy, then took the bus to Jackson. I got off the bus at 10 in the morning in mid-May. My brother picked me up and we were going to Mammoth, so we drove north through the Tetons, through Yellowstone, to Gardiner, all in one day. We got to Gardiner and I was like, “Done.” Seriously. I had been to the Appalachians, but I’d never been out west. I was hooked. 1,000 percent. That summer I worked in the employee dining room, slopping food, no idea I’d ever be in a kitchen as a living.
So how did you get into the restaurant business?
PC: A classmate of mine from Southwestern Louisiana [now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette] was managing a restaurant in Breckenridge. I went to see him in the spring after I graduated from college, and it planted the seed.
We took over the lease of a turnkey restaurant space and we opened The Acadian House, a little Cajun restaurant. I did the cooking. Then, after four years, he bought me out and we moved to Whitefish.
And did you cook at Tupelo as well?
PC: Yep, when we first opened, Tupelo was a third of the size it is now. We did lunch and dinner, we didn’t have a liquor license, it was just my wife and me and maybe three people. It was tiny, maybe seated 50. I was the chef for probably 6 years, then moved into being the general manager.
You opened two restaurants within a year, Abruzzo in Whitefish in late 2017 and Gunsight Saloon in Columbia Falls in June of 2018. What was that like?
PC: We were already working on Gunsight, then Truby’s moved out of the space that’s now Abruzzo, so we did a quick remodel there and got that open in December [of 2017]. Then in January we were back in Columbia Falls doing that remodel. Gunsight’s the hardest thing I ever did, by far, because of the timing. We really needed to get open for summer, we had just spent a decent amount of money on Abruzzo, and we were about to spend a ton on that remodel. Both of them took off, hopefully it’s going to do the same here in Kalispell.
What motivated you to expand
to Columbia Falls?
PC: Downtown, there wasn’t a lot going on. I think every town needs a big, happy gathering place. It had the potential with the old buildings, and Ruis [Mick Ruis, a local investor and developer] was investing a lot, that helped. And O’Brien [O’Brien Byrd, who owns O’Brien’s Liquor store and refurbished the lot behind it for the community market] had a lot to do with it, telling me, “We need this.”
And what’s attracting you to Kalispell now?
PC: I love downtown, I think people are friendly. I love the architecture down here, I really do. The neighborhoods are awesome. I just think there's room. There's definitely room for growth. These other places are only going to help us, the breweries and all that. I believe you have to create an energy, and I think the more choices you have in a downtown, the better. I mean, Whitefish proved it. That was my proving ground. There's been tons of restaurants since we opened 26 years ago and it never hurt our business. It only helps. It makes people want to stay in your town, the locals too.
Tupelo, Gunsight, and Mercantile Steak have all been extensive remodels. Is this a theme for you?
PC: I love rehabbing these old buildings, even though it’s a nightmare. I love turning a potential cool, old space into something more, something people respond to, hopefully. Give it an atmosphere, give it life. Here [in the historic Kalispell Mercantile building] we have the high tin ceilings, the back bar, the open rafters, the patio, the old elevator, the Tiffany lamps. It’s really the space that almost dictates what we’re going to do with the food. We’re going to do steak, but this could be a good Tupelo, too, it feels nostalgic or maybe a little southern in here.
You’ve seen a lot of growth
here in the last 25 years, and the Flathead Valley isn’t showing signs of slowing down. What do you hope for the future of the valley?
PC: I hope it keeps its character, the friendliness. I feel that way here in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, and Whitefish. Hopefully, the character doesn't get too diluted. And I hope it's not so transient. If things are going to develop, hopefully it's people who are going to stay, so you can maintain a sense of community. That's definitely what drew us to Whitefish was the sense of community. We moved to Whitefish and I was like, “Man, it's got everything you could want!” The lake, the mountain, inexpensive golf. It checked all the boxes- the mountain biking, the park, flights coming in and out, the rivers. From day one, we felt accepted when we opened Tupelo. Same in Columbia Falls with Gunsight, hopefully it's the same in Kalispell. It's very positive here. People are still really positive.
BIGFORK:
8000 MT HWY 35, Ste 3 Bigfork, MT 59911 406-837-8000
COLUMBIA FALLS:
734 9th Street West Unit 5 Columbia Falls, MT 59912 406-862-7914
KALISPELL:
150 1st Ave., WN Ste A Kalispell, MT 59901 406-755-7004
LAKESIDE:
7100 US HWY 93 South, Ste A Lakeside, MT 59922 406-300-6106
WHITEFISH:
284 Flathead Ave, Ste 101 Whitefish, MT 59937 406-862-7914
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