Biz Buzz: Popular restaurant in downtown Pocatello celebrating 2 years of business - East Idaho News
Biz Buzz

Biz Buzz: Popular restaurant in downtown Pocatello celebrating 2 years of business

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Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

POCATELLO

The Yellowstone Restaurant celebrating 2nd anniversary

hotel yellowstone 2
The Yellowstone Restaurant opened inside the old Hotel Yellowstone in Sept. 2018. | Courtesy Facebook

POCATELLO – Many customers, including those on their way to Yellowstone National Park, enjoy the cuisine at The Yellowstone Restaurant at 230 West Bonneville in downtown Pocatello.

The restaurant has grown in popularity since it opened two years ago. Co-owners Jennifer and Rory Erchul recently began offering Sunday brunches, and customers have often requested one item.

“Our very own, house-made 313 Bourbon Maple Syrup was getting a lot of praise by our guests, and many were asking to buy it,” Jennifer says in a news release. “It only made sense to take the next step, especially during COVID, as we continue to adapt our business to an ever-changing landscape.”

The Erchuls tell EastIdahoNews.com their syrup, made with real bourbon and real maple, is now bottled for take-home and online ordering. They’re also hoping to offer a take-home barbecue sauce shortly.

“We are perfecting that (right now) and would like to offer that online as well,” Rory says.

But The Yellowstone Restaurant isn’t just known for its sauces.

The menu offers a variety of fine dining options, including Pacific salmon, grilled mahi-mahi, Angus ribeye, lobster mac & cheese, and the Yellowstone Burger and fries. One of the most popular items, according to Jennifer, is the flat iron steak served with chimichurri sauce, potatoes, and vegetables.

The restaurant also includes the 313 Whiskey Room and the Union Taproom offering an assortment of alcoholic beverages.

Jennifer and Rory opened the restaurant in September 2018 on the main floor of the old Hotel Yellowstone.

“Jennifer and I had talked about opening a taproom somewhere in Pocatello for about 10 years,” Rory says.

Though they had never worked in the restaurant and bar industry before, Jennifer says they felt that type of business was an opportunity to offer the community something people had never experienced.

They looked around for several years, and a space eventually became available. The Erchuls thought the old hotel was a good fit.

“We named it The Yellowstone because, on the roof or our historic building, we still have the Hotel Yellowstone sign,” says Jennifer. Having “Yellowstone” in the name seemed like an obvious choice as “the marketing and branding was already done for us.”

The Hotel Yellowstone was built in 1915. It closed in the early 1980s, but a number of businesses have occupied the main floor over the years, including several restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

A restaurant had been operating on the main floor when Jennifer and Rory moved in.

Rory and Jennifer are grateful for the community support, and they’re looking forward to growing the business.

“We’re in the middle of revamping the next iteration of our menu. We try to change that seasonally,” Rory says. “Who knows what the future might bring? It might bring another location or two. That’s in the back of our minds.”

The Yellowstone Restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a 10 p.m. closing time Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch happens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The whiskey and tap rooms are open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Visit the website or Facebook page to learn more.

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The Erchuls recently added outdoor seating at their restaurant. | Courtesy Facebook

BIZ BITS

Portneuf River Vision seeking input on new design for Centennial & Rainey Parks

POCATELLO – The Portneuf River Vision is looking for your input on the future of a pair of Pocatello parks. Recently, the group unveiled a round of updated designs for Centennial Park and Rainey Park, and now it’s looking for your feedback on the plans. Residents are invited to complete the 20-question survey and answer questions about how often they use the parks, what they use them for and more. The answers will help the Portneuf River Vision determine which aspects of the parks are a priority. The questionnaire takes about 20 minutes to complete. Responses will be accepted until Sept. 21.

If you own an electric vehicle, INL and others want to hear from you

IDAHO FALLS – Over the last decade, Idaho National Laboratory has partnered with numerous automakers and private companies to understand how consumers use electric vehicles and charging stations. Energetics, a technology consulting firm, has asked INL and other labs to analyze data from its latest project. The Electric Vehicle Widescale Analysis for Tomorrow’s Transportation Solutions project will collect real-world data from electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles around the country. In January 2021, the company will share this data with INL, Argonne National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to analyze it for ongoing electric vehicle research. The company is calling for volunteers who want to participate in the EV WATTS program. If you own or lease an all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and would be interested in having a Geotab telematics device installed for providing data to the EV WATTS program, answer the questions in the survey here.

New physical therapy clinic opening in Rigby

RIGBY – The Rigby Chamber of Commerce is inviting you to the grand opening of Rigby Physical Therapy at 711 Rigby Lake Drive. The grand opening is happening Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 4 to 8 p.m. Door prizes and refreshments will be available, and you can meet the staff in person. Visit the website or Facebook page for more information.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Popular Halloween event canceled due to COVID-19

Organizers gearing up for mountain bike race in Pocatello this weekend

East Idaho Credit Union donates nearly $40k to local food banks

New music venue opens in Pocatello

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