By Roger Porter There must be something in the air these days and it conjures up memories of days long past. And gone with the memories are some long time tavern industry stalwarts.
Gone from the Absarokee bar scene is 33-year tavern veteran Sharon "Honey Bee" Kirkness (see last month' Montana Tavern Times) and now, hanging up his spurs in Billings tavern circles is 38-year veteran Jim Mankin.
Jim was born in Gillette, Wyo., and moved to Montana when he was 15. His first tavern venture was working at the Alta Club in Miles City and from there he moved to Billings and bought the Western Bar in downtown Billings in 1971.
After operating the Western for 12 years he opted for a little time off but came back to the Billings bar business in 1986 when he opened the Moosebreath Saloon, an establishment he built from scratch.
The first question one might ask is where the devil did that name come?
To hear Jim tell it, he and an artist friend of his had just returned home from a three- or four-day runner and he sidled up to his wife Carol intending to give her a little peck suffused surely with a wish for forgiveness for his brief transgressions.
As he puckered his lips to plant one on Carol, she made a face, turned away and said, "You have moosebreath." Coincidentally this little episode happened on the day before his liquor license application was due.
Well, understandably Jim had other things on his mind and he hit the sack. The next morning he awoke and the first thing he mentioned to Carol was that they had to get the license in. Carol replied, "I already sent it in." When he inquired as to what name she listed for the bar she said "Moosebreath," and there you have it.
Today we hear about labor shortages and difficulties in every industry, with the hospitality business being no exception. However, to Jim that isn't something new as he recalls working many long hours and then grabbing only three or four hours sleep.
That' a tough way to save on payroll, although as the old saying goes, "The shepherd who watches his own flock doesn't lose many sheep to the wolves." And many hours he must have spent on the job, for at one time he was involved in the operation of four taverns in Billings.
As if the demands of owning a tavern weren't enough, Jim and Connie also spent some time in their "farmer mode" with the purchase of a 260 acre "ranchette" in the Roberts area where they resided and tilled the soil until it just got to be too much.
Fortunately for the Mankins, a great deal of the pressure of the business was lifted during the last 20 years when daughter Connie joined the team and assumed the duties of No. 1 Gal.
But Connie' help came to an abrupt end with her winning one of the liquor licenses that were awarded by a lottery drawing a couple of years ago. She is now the proud owner of Oscar' in Lockwood which her dad helped her design.
There' nary a bar owner who doesn't have a tale to tell and Jim is no exception.
One of his favorites dates back to the year when one of the tavern conventions was held in Kalispell. That also dovetailed with the U.S. boycott of Russian goods and, ahem, no Stolichnaya vodka. Being Stoli was the main ingredient of one of Moosebreath' signature drinks, Jim had to put on the old thanking cap to come up with answer to his dilemma.
So he, together with friend Corey Welter, stopped at nearly every bar on the way back to Billings and bought all the Stoli the bars could spare. With nine cases in his car he recalls he felt like an airline pilot going down the road. In addition, he said he feels he may have set a record for the speed with which they unloaded the car.
Jim' outgoing personality has been a real asset over the years and to his mind, "anyone who walked through the door left as a friend as well as a customer."
A great believer in both the local and state tavern associations, he has been a member since he entered the business.
When queried as to what advice he'd give to someone new to the business, he replied, "Inventory control." He says inventory control is absolutely critical to business success and even postponed the opening of one of his bars until a Berg control system was installed.
Hopefully Jim and his long time partner Carol will enjoy their golden years and I would bet that many of the patrons of the Moosebreath will still expect the couple to come out attired in their white aprons after preparing the noon meal.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, August, 2006, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.