Another Mille Lacs Icon Closing Up Shop?

I have to believe people aren’t going to drive and stay at a resort when you cant keep any fish.

outdoorsmn wrote:

Toucan’s

Hope the resort doesn’t go down with the bar/restaurant. My family has had a place at the resort for almost three decades. I basically grew up at the resort.

I only visit a few times per year these days but the place always seemed fairly busy.

Maybe we know each other. I basically grew up at the resort as well until my parents bought a place on big point. I’m 36 if that helps.
DT

beardly wrote:

Looks like Toucans bar at The Wharf is closed due to staffing issues and not lack of business. Their Facebook page said it is closed until further notice with plans to announce news on it when they are able.

Show me any bar/restaurant around the lake that isn’t under staffed!! Or has cut back on the days and hours they are open. Too busy to stay open so they close up shop? Right smack in the middle of summer! Makes no sense at all. Something else must be going on here.

-J.

Often businesses will post they are closed for remodeling, inventory or some other reason when they are just trying to buy time to get more operating money, find a buyer or hide from creditors. I’m not saying thats what is happening here. But like Jon mentioned it would seem strange that you would close down at the end of July if your only problem was staffing.

Slice it any way you like, this doesn’t look good.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Show me any bar/restaurant around the lake that isn’t under staffed!! Or has cut back on the days and hours they are open. Too busy to stay open so they close up shop? Right smack in the middle of summer! Makes no sense at all. Something else must be going on here.

-J.

Exactly Jon, seems real fishy to me also. Especially 3 days before they had a band hired to play. No, no, we don’t want all the business at the bar. People eating and drinking all afternoon and night…what we going to do with all that money

Ditto

Outdraft wrote:

I have to believe people aren’t going to drive and stay at a resort when you cant keep any fish.

ditto

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

I just spent the last 9 days up at Mille Lacs and come home to find not only Lundeen’s closed but got a message from a friend that Toucan’s at the Wharf Resort closed their doors last Tuesday. Even more sad…especially if you’ve ever had the “Experience”. Fun bar/restaurant…cannot believe they too now are done.

For what it’s worth the “experience” breakfast is half what it used to be. It’s still pretty good, but a couple years ago I could split one with the wife and we’d both go home full. Many cooks have come and gone at the Wharf. I have gone to Hunter’s and got the all meat skillet I think it called, boy is that something!!!

fishmantim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Outdraft wrote:</div>
I have to believe people aren’t going to drive and stay at a resort when you cant keep any fish.

ditto

I know there was another post on this recently where reservations at resorts are somewhat hard to come by. The better half and I wanted to spend a few days at the lake with another couple. A few weeks ago when making reservations at a resort with a few amenities, I was a bit surprised to find they were full for Friday and Saturday nights. Appeldoorn’s and Red Door were both full at the time. Ended up making reservations for Sunday and Monday nights. So, people appear to be going to the resorts according to my small sampling of phone calls I made.

It’s hard to believe but there is more to the lake than fishing.

Francis K wrote:

A few weeks ago when making reservations at a resort with a few amenities, I was a bit surprised to find they were full for Friday and Saturday nights.

Well run businesses that cater to families versus a strict focus on fishing are doing well. Those living in the past are struggling. Case in point – My wife and I tried to get reservations for three families with kids + grandparents for summer 2018 at Appledorn’s starting late winter. They had no openings June, July or first two weeks in August. Nothing. Arrival or departure day / date didn’t matter. They were full. Our recourse was to book a VRBO on the Whitefish Chain for this summer with the plan to book with Appledorn’s a year in advance for summer 2019.

Upfront, I have no knowledge of what is happening at Toucan’s. But…FWIW I have had good friends in the restaurant/Bar business. It is one tough business to be in,
The staffing: People disappearing with no notice, tough to hire, low pay,
it is super tough to find help out there right now
The hours: Longest hours of most any business
The Money: Inventory (bottles of liquor) disappearing left and right, cash
disappearing, my friends basically said if you are not on
premise you are bleeding money.
I wish Toucan’s the best, but I would not want to trade places with the owners.

slawrenz wrote:

Upfront, I have no knowledge of what is happening at Toucan’s. But…FWIW I have had good friends in the restaurant/Bar business. It is one tough business to be in,
The staffing: People disappearing with no notice, tough to hire, low pay,
it is super tough to find help out there right no
The hours: Longest hours of most any business
The Money: Inventory (bottles of liquor) disappearing left and right, cash
disappearing, my friends basically said if you are not on
premise you are bleeding money.
I wish Toucan’s the best, but I would not want to trade places with the owners.

This pretty much explains it all as I understand what is happening with Toucan’s. Just lack of reliable, trustworthy, competent help. This is run by a husband/wife and I heard they just suddenly burned out and couldn’t keep going mentally. I watched Diamond Dave’s Pizza in Garrison close up twice under different owners because they couldn’t get reliable employees to show up for work. Think about it. What makes up the majority of the area residents?
Retiree’s, seasonal people, and not near enough young adults that want to work.

For those concerned about the future of the resort itself, I would not worry. Far less involved in managing a campground compared to a bar/restaurant.

Edited: I was finally to get back on some records of mine and was throroughly confused on resorts.

My apologies to those affected.

I have been at the wharf 5 years. Spoke to Darrin and the resort will stay open. I don’t need a bar to stay at my site.

Bill White wrote:

I have been at the wharf 5 years. Spoke to Darrin and the resort will stay open. I don’t need a bar to stay at my site.

I think your the minority there. Notice all the resorts with bar/restaurant compared to no bar/restaurant, Nobody goes to them. You can’t fish past ten it’s nice to pull up to your resort have a cocktail n burger, maybe a band is playing on Saturday night? I’ve said it since the start of this catch and release… The ones with bars are going to survive!

Dutchboy wrote:

But it’s never good to lose tax paying businesses from the tax base. Yet another blow to taxpayers.

I see what you did there.

I’ve never been to Lundeens. Is this the guy?

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That’s top ten material there,

I’ve stopped at Lundeen’s the past 3 years on my trips to the Big Pond. Yeah, he was gruff at times and didn’t sell bulk leeches but gave good updates on spots. Early July of this year, he not only told us what flat to try but what side of the flat to try. I tried the the other side first and caught a few fish but did much, much better where he said to go. I’m sad to see it go, the classic bait shop.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Toucans
Lol

Walked in there on a Friday night July 4 weekend some 10 years ago.

Ate a burger..
Put $30 in the juke and played meatloaf over and over.
Paid tab, walked out.
Meatloaf starts playing, bartender chases me out door and asked me if I played meatloaf…I say “Yeah! Crank it up”.
Bartender goes back into bar and turns it up…

My group comes out to ask me what’s up? I told them… We gotta go! Lol

I’ll do anything for love… Hard to tell when it stops and repeats.. well it repeated until bar close that night haha

Fastfoward to January.
I walk into bar at midnight… Bartender takes one look at me and hollars “MEATLOAF”. I just laughed.

Thus began “meatloafing da bar”

Thanks – now I can’t get it out of my head. lol

Ever since The Next bite did a show out of appledorns it has been quite busy. Was gonna reserve something last winter but the prices were way jacked than year prior so I passed. Wondered why for a bit until I saw the episode.

nhamm – We have not really changed any of our pricing in the last couple of years and none of those changes have related to fishhouses. Cabins and Motels rooms have not changed either. We actually dropped prices some during the week when it is not prime time.

Damn,that video brings back some memories.Thanks Dave.

nawwwww, Paradise,,,,,,

HRG

Nothin better than this

Sorry – it was 2 out of 3

Speaking with a Resort Owner who knows Bill well, he’s not sure this is or isn’t permanent. It’s impossible to get jumbo leeches right now and staying open 16 hours a day to sell a couple of boxes of panfish leeches isn’t profitable. My conversations with Bill Lundeen have been useful, he’s a great thinker and has tremendous insight into the current situation. While I don’t agree with how some see things, it was clear to me that Bill has given the issues a lot of thought and he makes a lot of sense. Between the big box stores and internet stores like Tackle Warehouse how many of us don’t all ready have a lifetime supply of most everything? Not sure how many folks knew that Bill carried a nice supply of Bass tackle addition to Walleye tackle?

Smackem33 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bill White wrote:</div>
I have been at the wharf 5 years. Spoke to Darrin and the resort will stay open. I don’t need a bar to stay at my site.

I think your the minority there. Notice all the resorts with bar/restaurant compared to no bar/restaurant, Nobody goes to them. You can’t fish past ten it’s nice to pull up to your resort have a cocktail n burger, maybe a band is playing on Saturday night? I’ve said it since the start of this catch and release… The ones with bars are going to survive!

While I get where you’re coming from I think you’re wrong here. Most the resorts around Mille Lacs aren’t really resorts in the conventional sense (rental cabins with restaurant/bar/lodge), most are campgrounds where the “cities” folk come up for the weekends and stay at their campers. So they will be going there regardless of whether there is a restaurant.

Circle the lake and count how many campgrounds/fish house parks there are with no bar or restaurant on premise. In fact a couple more just popped up in the last year. I would say the majority of those folks are just as content to pull up to their camper, pour a drink, and light the grill and sit around the campfire. You’d be surprised how profitable those campgrounds can be with little effort and not dependent on selling burgers’n’booze.

That being said, I am one who does enjoy patronizing the local watering holes and am disappointed when another option closes.

As far as small bait shop, I think most of us can agree that business model is headed towards extinction. Everybody buying gear online and then we’ll all just buy our live bait at the Holiday gas station.

Oh, and BTW…anyone is welcome to go ahead and start a separate “Meatloaf” thread.

Regardless of anything negative about the guys there, it’s just terribly sad to see any of these icons go. The Blue Goose hurt a lot and this will sting a bit too. There are certain places like Vados and Lundeens that have always been there and will always be there. I really hope someone else opens up at that spot and keeps it going.

I suppose it’s hurt by Reeds being there since you are able to buy some other stuff at lower prices while also picking up your bait. Maybe hurt some by so many people throwing plastics anymore instead of live bait — especially for the smallies of course.

Sad times.

Yes they may stay at campgrounds but I’ll bet most are fishing waters where you can actually keep some fish for a fish fry without needing 5 lbs of potatoes. That said, the number 1 priority is the lake and don’t take the wrong way but times change, and the the younger generations dont seem to have the same interests and subsequently businesses go by the wayside. I hate it

Outdraft wrote:

Yes they may stay at campgrounds but I’ll bet most are fishing waters where you can actually keep some fish for a fish fry without needing 5 lbs of potatoes. That said, the number 1 priority is the lake and don’t take the wrong way but times change, and the the younger generations dont seem to have the same interests and subsequently businesses go by the wayside. I hate it

You can keep pike. perch and small mouth on Mille Lacs, it’s not like the whole lake is catch and release. There are even pan fish if you need to have a fish fry. It’s a nice excuse to say businesses are closing because of the the walleye catch and release, but the lake hasn’t gotten any less busy, it’s just different.

You would be surprised! We have been pretty busy the last two years. The area is getting a different clientele. We are getting more families and more people from out of state targeting bass. We are getting less people that think keeping a fish is key to a fun trip. The out of state customers are staying longer stays and therefore spending more money in the area.