By Cole Boehler
We had some business to attend to in the Missoula area recently and, when out on the road, we like to pick up a business profile feature story, often spotlighting veteran owners who've spent decades behind
the plank.
And that's what we thought we'd get when we dialed up the Nine-Mile House--right, exactly nine miles past Frenchtown--which is situated in the Nine-Mile Valley, a couple of miles off I-90 from the Nine-Mile interchange. Got it? Nine Miles!
Instead of owners as durable as the big Ponderosa pines that cover the area--namely Barb and Doug Gaut, proprietors for about three decades--we found precisely the opposite: a pair of brand new owners who had been in place just two weeks.
We can report that this set of sisters--Randie Pringle, majority owner, and Kim Aaro--are quite the dynamic duo.
We stopped by at 5:30 p.m. on an April Tuesday night--terribly inconsiderate timing-- but the sisters nevertheless took some time away from a rapidly filling dining room to talk to this reporter.
This story begins about six years ago when Randie and her husband, Jim, moved to Montana "for the outdoors, the hunting and fishing." She had been working for a cell phone company in Bremerton, Wash., and her husband owned and operated a body shop there for many years.
Randie's company had an opening in Western Montana and Jim was ready to sell the business and go, so they did. Soon, however, Randie was handed a territory comprising all of Western Montana and Wyoming, which was "way more than I wanted," she says. So she then went to work for a local lending company arranging for mortgages.
Jim, meanwhile, took a position with Johnson Bros. Construction driving a dump truck. For the Pringle's, things settled into a nice, predictable pace and there was even time for indulging their outdoor hobbies, including flat-track racing.
But things changed one very fateful day... April 14, 2006 to be exact. Jim was killed while on the job and Randie was suddenly a widow whose world was knocked of its axis.
But that's when one discovers the true value of a warm, loving extended family. Randie was soon surrounded by family members determined to help her through a devastating time.
As Randie began to put her life back in order, she sought a new direction. She and her sister Kim, who has experience in the food service business, decided to take a run at acquiring the Nine-Mile House which had been operating in various configurations since its days as a stage stop 103 years ago.
They put a deal together with the Gauts who had operated the establishment 34 years, then took possession April 1 of this year.
Meanwhile, Kim's husband George, retired from the Naval Shipyards of Bremerton, has joined the crew filling in where necessary ("until the fishing season gets underway"). And Kim and Randie's folks, Virginia and Frank Locher, have moved to the site to manage the small trailer park that came with the business.
Randie refers to her sister, her brother-in-law and her parents as her "support team."
And Kim says of Randie, "She's a good sister; she's a tough girl."
It was apparent from the get-go that the business would benefit from some revisions and updates. Installing a security system and stringent money and inventory controls came first. A Com Cash P.O.S. system and a liquor pour control system allowed the sisters to implement tight management reins.
A gambling license has been applied for and vendors were being interviewed to supply an expanded gaming area. Plans were made to add 10-15 RV camping spaces complete with utilities to the five-acre grounds. They plan to add covered and heated/cooled outdoor smoking areas for patrons.
They have installed wireless internet service, and to augment a new emphasis on sports, three new flat-screen TVs (one 52-inch, two 42-inchers) for fans of NASCAR, UM Grizzly sports and more. New carpet has been laid along with new plank flooring in the bar. There are plans for diverse types of bands to play Saturday nights.
Currently there are only four tap handles that feature some big domestic sellers and a couple of micros, but Randie says plans are in the works to eventually run up to 20 draft beers including many local and regional craft beers.
Yet, Randie says, they are working to retain the rustic "character and charm" of the original roadhouse, now officially known as the "Famous #9-Mile House."
Marketing and promotions will be aggressive with the Nine-Mile House, sponsoring a bull riding chute at the Arlee Rodeo, a steer event at the Western Montana Fair, memberships in local snowmobile and trail rider clubs, motorcycle and ATV poker rides..."Anything not illegal," Randie says only half jokingly. "We're going to be in the public's face."
The Nine-Mile House sponsors racers and events of the Montana Flat-trackers Association which conducts races in Missoula, The Mission Valley and Kalispell. In fact, they'll be hosting a barbecue for racers this summer.
"We're motorcycle friendly," Randie says, smiling when she says her own personal ride is a 2006 Harley Softail DeLuxe.
The Nine-Mile House is a big, sprawling structure with 3,400 square-feet of dining area and an occupancy rated at 125: 60 in the dining room (including two separate banquet rooms) and 65 in the bar. The property came with five acres and ample parking all around the business. The former owners' home was included and was to be occupied by Virginia and Frank.
The sisters say it will take 18-20 employees to fully staff the business once up to speed. Randie says they experienced some high turnover initially when the new tighter business controls were introduced, but noted there is an ample local labor pool--"we had three applications today."
The place has always been known for its beef, but Kim and Randie agree that if beef was to be their claim to fame, it had to be very good and consistently so. They now vow to serve only the best Certified Angus Beef. And the Nine-Mile prime rib is already garnering quite a reputation, they say. Of course, a full seafood menu complements the bovine fare.
The restaurant serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinners from 4-10 p.m. and "bar food" from 10 to 1 a.m.
So far, Randie reports, they have been working hard to hold the line on pricing, though admits that will have to change at some point. Indeed, customers have been very complimentary, the sisters say, and exceedingly friendly as they stop in to say howdy to the new owners, then sample some of the home cooking.
"We're on stage; we're on camera," Kim says of the inquisitive locals.
"Already we've seen a 30 percent increase in staff tips," Randie says, "and our Easter volume was double from the year before. There are 1,500 people living in this little valley and they all have to drive by here" to work or trade in Missoula.
The sisters say they are "committed to working real hard for a number of years, then hopefully being able to scale back" their personal investments in time.
Meanwhile, they are learning the down-and-dirty vagarieof the hospitality business.
The financing was difficult, Randie confesses, even though she has great connections with her previous employer, Wells Fargo. "Build a strong relationship with you bank," she advises.
The rigorous licensing process for liquor and gaming is a "surprising gauntlet," she adds. And staffing has been a challenge, though with a laugh Kim says, "We're never short-handed because Randie and I will do any job: clean tables, mop the floors..."
Then she shares her philosophy regarding the secret to success: "Listen to the customers!"
With that, both sisters rightly deem it more important to spend valuable time with valuable customers than with pesky reporters, and scurry off, momentarily seen delivering meals to tables, filling mugs at the bar, and chatting with customers and new friends.
Earlier Randy told the story of a couple who had stopped at the Nine-Mile.
"They were celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary. They met here. They celebrate their wedding anniversary here every year; 33 years in a row. There's a lot of tradition here."
"We're pleased with the business."
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, May. 2007, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.