Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1357477
What is unique about your business? We are for everyone, whether you need a cup of coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, beer, or wine. Our customers come in work uniforms, overalls, and suits and ties. People can meet for a quick lunch, have a date, meet the family, and have their business meeting. Adding our patio this summer really took us to the next level. And, we have an executive chef who can knock your socks off with his food creations. What has been your biggest success? I feel our biggest success is transforming Tracy's into an amazing new place while keeping with the diner feel from the old days. It is so rewarding when people come in and tell us they met their wife of 50 years in Tracy's, or how they used to come in when they were kids with their parents or grandparents. We want to keep the tradition of Tracy's for years to come. We also want to be part of the transformation of Downtown Great Falls. Our ownership group believes that our downtown can thrive with some young business minds. What has been your biggest challenge? Our biggest challenge was when we purchased the building. We did not realize the extent of what needed done to become what it is today. Our original month or two of renovations turned into nearly four months and probably triple the original budget. Things come up here and there, like COVID-19, but I think our experience in business has brought us out even stronger and helped us stay ahead of everything. The number one thing we have learned is you always go full bore. When things are tough, you do not cut back, and never lay down. Think of ways to stay ahead of the competition and to work with the other downtown businesses. What are your plans for 2021 or in the future to grow and develop your business? We plan on expanding our catering operations and building a patio on the opposite side of the new patio we opened in 2020. We have plans to open a couple other businesses downtown to help further the improvement downtown. Our goal will be bringing some of these downtown businesses back to life. Anything else you would like to share or let people know about your business? Our business is built on family; our employees and customers are our family. Neal and John have been friends since kindergarten and have known each other for almost 35 years. It is kind of ironic that both married registered nurses from Wisconsin. What have you done to overcome the challenge(s) of 2020? Have you been able to turn any of it into opportunities? How has it changed your way of doing business? We overcame the challenges of 2020 by being aggressive in our approach. While many restaurants and businesses cutback, we found ways to expand. John's years of experience in the restaurant industry gave us what we needed to weather the storm and come out stronger. The most important reason we succeeded through this year is our hard working and caring staff members; they are the backbone of our operations. Our executive chef, Greg Rodgers, and front of house manager, Kelsey Grandberg, kept things going and made sure everyone was ready to roll with the punches. We have every one of our employees to thank; without them, it would not have been possible. We know in 2020 you did a lot for our community by providing free lunches for essential workers. Can you tell us more about that? We believe essential workers are the backbone of Great Falls, especially in 2020. This really came to light with our wives in the nursing industry. Becki has been at the frontlines of COVID-19 working in the ICU. We knew how bad things were with extra-long hours and no time to eat. We took it upon ourselves to give free meals to these important people. They deserve so much respect. We also continued to support kids' activities. We think the children need all the support they can get as well. They are our future. Article by John Barnes 29 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org F E AT U R E D Q & A Photo by Photo Solutions