New owners dive in at River Street Diner

It’s been a little over two weeks since Colin Meyers and Ryan Quinn became the official owners of River Street Diner in downtown Bigfork.

Smoked pork shoulder sandwiches with a tangy, spicy barbecue sauce and homemade coleslaw and pineapple jalapeño infused tequila are just two of the new offerings up for grabs.

They’re not planning on changing much, just adding to what is already there. For starters they will keep the early hours and open at 7:30 a.m. They will serve the same breakfast and lunch menu with tweaks here and there and will add a dinner and late night menu that will be served until 2 a.m.

Live music as many nights a week as they can get it and a late happy hour will also be on the list of additions.

The two said many of the business owners in town have been extremely helpful with suggestions and help. They kept all the staff on, so the transition from old owners to new has been relatively seamless.

Meyers is originally from Tennessee and has worked in restaurant kitchens for the last 15 years. Quinn is originally from Cheyenne, Wyo. and has bartended and managed restaurants for the last 15 years. The pair met through mutual friends in Bozeman and the idea to go into business together has floated around for the last year or so.

Quinn jokingly said the thought was cemented on a canoe trip down the Deerborn River when they got stuck on a rock in the middle of the river after hitting it with the canoe.

“We nailed everything that was sketchy and we weren’t paying attention to something casual,” Meyers said. “We were saying if we could make it off a river together than maybe we should go into business together.”

“We decided that if we could make it through that than we could make it through anything,” Quinn said.

Of course it was more than that, especially with an economy that leaves job seekers with limited options. With no kids, no mortgages, and no wives, the pair decided they didn’t have anything to lose and threw their life savings into the restaurant pot.

After Meyers came across the restaurant for sale on Craigslist, he visited Bigfork from Bozeman and convinced Quinn to join him.

“This looked do-able to us,” Quinn said.

And making the bar a more viable part of the business is exactly one more thing that can draw crowds into Bigfork, according to Meyers and Quinn.

“From what people are telling us,” Meyers said. “It just gives people one more thing, one more reason to come to Bigfork and have a Bigfork experience, because that’s what it is.”

River Street Diner is actively looking to bring in food products from local farms and businesses as well as musical talent. Anyone interested can contact the River Street Diner and ask for Colin or Ryan, 837-3467.