‘Mother Clucker’ sandwich and rubber rat-chucking contests making return to Glacier
Graham’s Restaurant in Glacier is making a comeback, and the new owner is planning to bring back some of the quirkiness it was known for decades ago.
Shirley Schmidt said she took over at the end of September after the previous owners, the Cook family, decided not to renew the lease after five years.
Schmidt closed the restaurant to give it a renovation. She’s planning to reopen Graham’s around the end of November at 9989 Mount Baker Highway, and it will be known as Graham’s Historical Restaurant.
Schmidt, who has worked at the restaurant for five years, is consulting with building owner Gary Graham about the history of the restaurant, particularly what it was like in the 1970s and 1980s. She’s also bringing back some of the antiques that were around when Graham operated the restaurant, she said.
“It’s humbling to take the torch and run this restaurant,” said Schmidt, who said she has felt an affinity for the building and the business. “It’s a big piece of Glacier and it means everything to this community.”
Some of the things Schmidt is bringing back include event parties like werewolf night and games like rat-chucking (tossing rubber rats into buckets). She’s also bringing back some popular menu items, including the Mother Clucker chicken sandwich and a burger called the World Famous Gable Burger. Live music is also returning, she said.
It’ll be open every day for lunch and dinner, with breakfast possibly coming later after the reopening.
The focus of the restaurant will be being a place for the community, she said, but Schmidt also wants to bring back the “world famous” component.
The building itself opened in the early 1900s and is known as a stopping place for Clark Gable and Loretta Young, who were in the movie “Call of the Wild,” which was filmed in the area in 1935.
According to the website of a previous owner, Robert de Niro celebrated a birthday at Graham’s while filming the movie “The Deer Hunter.”
Graham’s should be open just as the ski season gets going, making it a draw for skiers and snowboarders visiting the Mt. Baker Ski Area, she said.
For further details and updates, visit the restaurant’s website or Facebook page.
