Restored classic truck feature of Split Rock’s move into event service

When Jimmy Foster bought his 1964 Stepside Chevy 25 years ago, he never anticipated its future as a tap truck. Now, Foster and his wife Skye, owners of Split Rock Restaurant in Bigfork, will be expanding their services to include bartending for events like weddings and reunions with the classic truck. 

The Chevy first caught Foster’s eye when he was 13 years old while moving irrigation for a local farm. Despite its dilapidated state, Foster bought it from the original owners for less than $1,500, determined to spark new life into the truck.

“It was a bucket of rust,” Foster said. “I rebuilt the engine with a good friend of mine and his dad from West Valley and the fenders were in rough shape.”

But Foster saw past its disrepair and looked towards its potential. Though he was pressured to turn the truck into a hot rod, Foster was set on keeping everything in its original condition.

“It has 36,000 miles on it. The seats are reupholstered, but it has the original seats. It has the original dash, bed, and motor, and M & T Auto Body helped me get as close to the original color as possible which is a sea foam green. All my friends gave me a ton of crap for the color. They said I should paint it jet black,” said Foster. “But I always liked the idea of bringing something back to its originality. There's a million guys out there with big engines, big transmissions, big tires, but I just felt like keeping it original paid some sort of homage to the classic truck that it was.”

Foster finished repairs in less than two years, but by that point, he was apprehensive about driving the freshly renovated truck.

“It was so pretty. I didn’t want to scratch it or wreck it,” Foster said. “I did drive it to school every now and then, but somebody backed into it, and people would ding the door in the parking lot.”

Using the truck to provide bartending at events now allows Foster to show off the classic Chevy without worrying about damage, an opportunity that was only afforded due to the restaurant’s move from Kalispell to Bigfork.

“We're family-owned and we try to keep the budget tight. We could never have afforded a liquor license in Kalispell. We really tried, but it just never worked out,” said Foster. “And then we found this location and realized we could afford a county license out here and with that license, we can do off-site sales and the mobile bar business.”

Having been in the restaurant business for several years, Foster feels confident about expanding Split Rock’s services to events. 

“When you own a restaurant, you put everything you have into it which is just like this truck. It's our baby and we created it. I built it with friends and local business owners. It’s a part of the valley as much as the restaurant is,” Foster said.

After receiving the green light for bar services, Foster added mahogany rails to the trunk with the help of Brad Wildes and a chill box and tap system with the help of Marty Kraft. Now the truck lends itself useful for bartending as well as a prop for photographs. 

“This truck has been photographed in more weddings than I have,” Foster said with a laugh. “Anybody with a county liquor license can offer mobile bar services, but where are you going to find a classic truck to pour a beer out of? The truck is so wedding-friendly and the color is so photogenic. It is such a beautiful feature for people's weddings and events.”

Foster said that they look forward to providing a customized variety of craft or domestic beers, wines, ciders, liquor, and cocktails, and are open to booking for the 2024 season. To contact, email splitrock406@gmail.com or call 406-885-1561.

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.

    Jimmy Foster worked to have the classic Chevy pickup restored that has become the center of its services for bartending events. (Courtesy photo)
  

    Split Rock Restaurant in Bigfork offers an extensive menu including steaks. (Photo courtesy Rajkowski Photography)
  

    Split Rock Restaurant in Bigfork serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. (Photo couresy Rajkowski Photography)