Reopened for business: Sykes' to start serving meals again Monday

A new day dawns Monday for Kalispell’s beloved Sykes’ Restaurant.

Sporting a bright new interior and exterior renovation, the restaurant opens  at 7 a.m. for breakfast all day and lunch after 11 a.m. Thanks to Semitool founder Ray Thompson, the Sykes’ tradition that stretches back to at least 1905 has been renewed.

After purchasing the property in September from Doug and Judy Wise, Thompson put his former Semitool facilities manager Dave Jolly in charge of the renovation and hired Jayson Peters to start up and manage the restaurant.

“His son Mike will also be involved,” Peters said. “He and I will manage the day-to-day operation.”

A former employee of Semitool, Peters said his hospitality experience includes managing a bed and breakfast operation and helping open the Kalispell Hampton Inn. He hired Don Lofthouse, a chef with years of experience, including Barley’s Brewhouse and Marina Cay restaurants, to take charge of the kitchen.

Lofthouse and Peters were still working out the new menu details at the time of the interview.

“It will be a classic diner menu,” Lofthouse said. “We plan to expand it to include all kinds of specials.”

Taking inspiration from popular local restaurants in this area, the new Sykes’ menu features meal selections to make ordering easier. The old menu had lengthy a la carte selections.

 Peters said seniors and others who want to limit their intake may choose smaller portion options. Customers may order breakfast through closing time at 4 p.m.

“Coffee will still be 10 cents with a meal,” he said.

Peters said many people expressed interest in working at Sykes’. He said he had at least 10 job seekers a day stop by the building, located at Second Avenue and Second Street West in Kalispell.

Using L.C. Staffing Services to screen applicants, Peters hired five people to work in the kitchen and eight for the floor to help carry on the tradition of Sykes’ as a community gathering place with some modern updates.

In an interview when he purchased the restaurant, Thompson said he wanted to preserve the character of Sykes’ as a humble, welcoming place. The Wises operated with the motto “There are no strangers, only friends who have never met.”

“Our hope is we can keep the former customers and build new customers who want the Sykes’ experience,” Peters said.

A Flathead Valley native, he said he has been coming to Sykes’ for 30 years. He said his wife has also been coming to the restaurant since childhood. The two of them relish memories of Sykes’ large cinnamon rolls.

“My grandparents came here — this was the farmer/rancher place to come,” he said. “We want to get back to that. A lot of those folks feel like they lost their home for a while.”

Old customers will find their former home lighter and brighter from an amazing amount of renovation work accomplished by Jolly and his team. In just a month, workers replaced the floor in the kitchen and restaurant, installed new insulation and walls as well as a new ceiling and overhead lighting.

As requested by Thompson, the remodel saved a little square of flooring worn thin by Doug and Judy Wise jumping up to serve customers from their favorite table near the kitchen. Peters hopes health department restaurant inspectors allow the tribute to remain as a memorial of respect to the former owners who continue to help with the new operation.

“Doug and Judy have been so great with this,” Peters said.

He said the couple provided some photographs that he wants to eventually display with other historic images on the walls.

Customers will find their old familiar tables as well as the long counter with the same red top. For now, the recently-built restrooms remain just down from the pharmacy along with a new line of coolers that will carry some grocery items for sale.

Jolly and the renovation workers recovered the kitchen walls with stainless steel near the cooking equipment and white, heat-resistant covering in other areas. At midweek, workers were busy scrubbing and shining existing equipment as well as adding pieces like high-end convection units to expand baking capabilities.

The upgrade replaced the air handling system and installed a new large water heater. A new employee entrance/emergency exit was added just in front of the kitchen area.

Peters said Thompson has an addition in the works to widen the restaurant and add windows for natural light.

“That’s next,” he said.

Thompson had the badly deteriorated parking lot replaced with new paving, leaving an open space next to the restaurant for the addition. A new coat of paint brightened up the outside of the building.

Future plans call for tearing down an old portion of the building with a faulty foundation for a ground-up reconstruction without disrupting the pharmacy and restaurant. After Monday, Sykes’ restaurant will operate seven days a week.

Peters called the first day an opening, not a grand opening. He expects to make changes here and there based on feedback from customers.

“If we miss something, this group of people who come here won’t hesitate to tell us about it,” he said with a laugh.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.