About Bullwinkle's
Jackie and Dennis LaFever opened BULLWINKLE’S February 26, 1996. They moved their operation from the Executive Inn Dinning Room & Lounge where they operated an elegant and very popular restaurant and lounge that had, in a brief 4 years, become famous for an innovative kitchen, attentive service, and a congenial atmosphere.
The couple moved to West Yellowstone from historic Virginia
City, Montana, where they established and operated the “VIRGINIA
CITY CAFE”,
which was linked to the Pioneer Bar. The Pioneer Bar was
run by Dennis’ brother Neal, from Billings, Montana. Although Dennis
is an electrician by trade, he has been in the restaurant operation
business ever since his brother Miles hoodwinked him to “Helping
Out”. It seems that Miles decided, one day, to open a second
restaurant and have his wife run it. Well, in the best tradition of
Western Hospitality, the restaurant grew rapidly and Dennis was
thrown into one of them to take up the slack. The restaurant is a
well loved establishment named the “BAR ‘N’ ANNEX”, in the Kettle
Moraine area of Wisconsin.
It was in Wisconsin that Jackie and Dennis met each other.
Jackie’s grandmother had a restaurant and bar between Green Bay and
Milwaukee. It was named “TESKER’S” and
drew loyal patrons from not
only those two towns but from Chicago and the ‘North Shore’ as well.
From her grandmother Jackie learned the lessons of successful
management and patron satisfaction. Taking grandma’s lessons with
her to Port Washington, Wisconsin, Jackie operated the “Golden
Goose” cocktail lounge on Lake Michigan for 6 years. It appears that
grandma’s hospitality lessons were well learned for there is now a
national following of satisfied customers that seek out the LaFever
brand of hospitality wherever it may be. It should also be apparent
why there are so many bits of Green Bay Packer memorabilia in the
little mountain village of West Yellowstone, Montana.
About Our Name
One year during his frequent unsuccessful moose
hunting near
‘Hungry Hollow’, in the famous “ALDER GULCH” (that’s where all the
gold is), right by Virginia City; Dennis (much to his amazement and
the absolute disbelief of everyone in town), bagged a trophy moose.
His joy was overwhelming and he came to refer to the moose as
‘Bullwinkle’.
Jackie and Dennis decided to immortalize the moose and Dennis’
astounding good luck by naming a restaurant in honor of this fine
Montana specimen.
