One the oldest bars in Utah has a new name and new owners.
The Beaver Creek Inn on the Mirror Lake Highway in Samak opened in 1942. It is now The Notch Pub and offers a new menu.
Samak Smoke House owners Jen Hisey and Dave Witham said they agreed to purchase the tavern a few months ago because they love spending time in the Uintas and believe the pub-in-a-cabin theme will endear itself to new customers in Park City.
Hisey and Witham spent the month of December performing a deep cleaning and moving the old Beaver Creek Inn sign to above the bar to please regulars, locals and highway travelers.
Witham said he’d really had his eye on the place for four years, but the previous owners only recently agreed to sell. The tavern does great business in summer and is a gathering place for Kamas Valley residents in winter.
The couple purchased the Samak Smoke House almost seven years ago and has been successful with it. offering smoked cheddar on high-quality burgers and bratwurst along with smoked barbeque pork sandwiches, Witham said he is confident he can develop a following.
The two lived in Park City for years before moving to Samak. They know the community well and know how to entice Parkites to Kamas for a relaxing evening, Hisey said.
Both worked in restaurants since their middle-school years. They know what it takes to run a good kitchen and make customers happy, they said.
Live music will be offered every weekend and open mic slots dot the calendar on other nights. See what’s coming up at www.thenotchpub.com.
“It’s a very nice, clean environment where everyone is welcome,” she said.
Having grown up in Park City, Witham said he misses the small-town bars that used to be found along Main Street. They were the heart and character of the community. His dream for The Notch Pub is to recreate that feeling for Park City old timers.
For the newer arrivals and people in the Kamas Valley, Hisey said the goal is to create a place that is comfortable and welcoming to all kinds of people.
That was certainly true for the pub’s grand opening on New Year’s Eve, they said. Many different types of people were enjoying the food, live band and dancing together.
It was a risk changing the name, Hisey acknowledged, but the Beaver Creek Inn had been managed by a single family for several years and she wanted everyone to know something different was being offered now.
She named it after her favorite hike in the Uintas to Notch Mountain. That hike is a favorite of many Summit County residents, she said. It’s a good name for the business that offers a patio and garden where locals, cyclists, sportsmen and leisure drivers can come to enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
The Notch Pub’s liquor license is that of a club so only adults over age 21 are admitted. A copy of the menu is also available online.
The response from Kamas and Samak residents has already been tremendous, Hisey said.
The Notch Pub
2392 East Mirror Lake Highway, Samak
435-783-6244
www.thenotchpub.com
View The Notch Pub in a larger map