Makeover in full swing for popular Scotty's Bar

Scotty's Bar will celebrate its 23rd anniversary on July 30. Shortly after that, it may celebrate the finished addition of an upscale steakhouse - but owner Karla Levengood isn't holding her breath.

"I'm not going to open the steakhouse until I'm 110 percent ready," she said. "I'm hoping for the middle of August."

The original goal was to have the steakhouse ready by April, Levengood said with a wry laugh.

"The rule of thumb is it's going to cost twice as much and take twice as long, and it's true," she said.

In the last few months, Levengood has been gradually infusing change in a bar once known for its raucous nightlife. An interior remodel began last November. The dance hall had its last hurrah on New Year's Eve.

And on Jan. 1, she and her staff got down to the business of converting the dance hall into a steakhouse.

Her motivation for making the change is simple.

"I want to create a better environment for my employees to work in," she said. "My employees and my clientele mean a lot to me. They've been extremely faithful for so long. I want to create a better environment for them."

It's only in the last few years that Scotty's gained a bit of notoriety for its nightlife. Levengood rarely came to work without finding something broken or damaged, and all the problems were occurring after 11 p.m.

"I got tired of the vandalism," she said.

And that's not what the place was supposed to be about. When her late husband, Scott, opened the bar on his 21st birthday, the concept was pretty basic.

"Burgers and beer," Levengood said. "It was burgers and beer."

Gradually the menu expanded, but the restaurant was still known as the best place to grab a burger.

"When you order, you know what you're going to get. It's very consistent," she said. "It's just a very simple, good, affordable place to eat."

It's also a popular place to eat. Scotty's serves food from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and during the lunch-hour rush, it might serve 150 meals in an hour and a half, Levengood said.

"People just literally flow," added Josh Davis, who has been doing carpentry work around the restaurant for the last six months. "When a seat opens up, someone sits down.

"This is one of the hottest spots in south Kalispell. Maybe in all Kalispell."

Many customers are the model of consistency. Some never miss a day except for Sundays or vacations. They even go so far as notifying the staff if they're going out of town.

Levengood is grateful for their loyalty.

"I've got the best clientele any business could ask for," she said. "There are people who are in here faithfully every single day."

Even when the old building front was being torn down and the place resembled a war zone, customers would simply wander around outside until they found their way in, Davis said. The restaurant never closed during the remodeling.

Since the dance hall shut down, even though alcohol consumption decreased, dinner sales have picked up. Davis expects them to increase even more once the steakhouse is completed.

"The most common comment I've heard here is, 'We really need a good steakhouse in this town,'" he said.

That's exactly what Levengood hopes to create in the old dance hall. Copper-colored ceiling tiles cover the ceiling. In the center is a giant, crystal chandelier that used to hang in the White Oak Grand Hotel in Somers.

Another, smaller, chandelier will decorate the new entryway; two more will hang in a private dining room just off the main room.

"It's going to be a very beautiful environment," Levengood said.

About 900 square feet were added to the back of the new steakhouse to make room for dishwashing and storage for the restaurant. A new grill and kitchen area replace what used to be a bar.

All semblance of the old dance hall has disappeared.

The bar, however, remains largely the same. There have been some small improvements.

The area behind the bar received new flooring. Workers removed plywood from the front of a boarded-up fireplace in the dining area, revealing beautiful gray stone.

A retractable, paneled wall in front of the hardwood dance floor can create another private dining room. This wall is soundproof and made of rock, Davis said. Each panel weighs nearly 500 pounds.

All of the improvements have been great for the building, which was originally erected as a hacienda in the 1950s, Levengood said.

"The remodel has made it a very strong structure, and just a nice, comfortable, local place to come to," she said.

And while the old dance hall atmosphere is decidedly different, the heart of the bar hasn't changed at all.

"This is still Scotty's," she said. "It will always be Scotty's."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.