The Wharf on Mille Lacs/Update?

Hi All,

Anyone have any updates on the sale or new management of the Wharf?
I use to enjoy going there and thought about buying a trailer there. However I don’t know what is going to happen.
Anyone care to chime in on what they know?

MM

marmike wrote:

Hi All,

Anyone have any updates on the sale or new management of the Wharf?
I use to enjoy going there and thought about buying a trailer there. However I don’t know what is going to happen.
Anyone care to chime in on what they know?

MM

I also looked in to buying a trailer there.
I asked the seller of the trailer similar questions, he said:
Hunters is the new owners
The old owners were terrible at customer service
No new changes expected and that the surrounding neighbors were happy that new ownership was coming.

That’s all I got

Hunters is not the new owner yet. The bank is paying them to run it till it goes up for auction maybe this summer. This is from Tony Nitti

bigcrappie wrote:

Hunters is not the new owner yet. The bank is paying them to run it till it goes up for auction maybe this summer. This is from Tony Nitti

Thanks for correcting me Big Crappie.
Good to know

bigcrappie wrote:

Hunters is not the new owner yet. The bank is paying them to run it till it goes up for auction maybe this summer. This is from Tony Nitti

Exactly, there will be an auction in the spring. Old owners were terrible. I hope Hunters buys it, but we will see. I’ve been there for over 20 years and have seen several owners come and go. But I sure like the way George runs Hunters!!

Thanks for the updates. Good to know the IDO community has their ear to the ground.
As for new owners,whoever it will be ,I hope they do a nice job. They have a great spot there and it would be beneficial to be run properly. We all hate to see all vacate and mismanaged property.

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bigcrappie wrote:</div>
Hunters is not the new owner yet. The bank is paying them to run it till it goes up for auction maybe this summer. This is from Tony Nitti

Exactly, there will be an auction in the spring. Old owners were terrible. I hope Hunters buys it, but we will see. I’ve been there for over 20 years and have seen several owners come and go. But I sure like the way George runs Hunters!!

This is what I heard too, that Nitti’s was contracted to operate the ice fishing business this year…to whatever extent that was?

Wharf had a number of ice rental houses, but I never saw any offered or advertised and I never heard of anyone going out of the Wharf this season either. I know Wharf’s big truck they used for pulling houses on and off the lake was sold last fall.

sticker, you have a camper there…don’t you? What have you been told as far as operation this summer if it hasn’t been sold yet? Have other’s been selling or planning on pulling their campers out?

I wonder too if Nitti’s has the desire and/or resources to take on the expense and responsibility of owning and operating another resort in addition to what they already have?

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

sticker, you have a camper there…don’t you? What have you been told as far as operation this summer if it hasn’t been sold yet? Have other’s been selling or planning on pulling their campers out?

I wonder too if Nitti’s has the desire and/or resources to take on the expense and responsibility of owning and operating another resort in addition to what they already have?

My parents have had a place at the Wharf for about 25 years. Haven’t heard of people planning on pulling out solely because of the ownership, most are excited for new ownership. Most people hope Hunter’s takes it over. However, I also wonder if they have the capacity to run two resorts.

I agree the old owners were terrible at customer service and terrible business people. Seems like they’ve remodeled the bar 2-3 times in the last 5-10 years. They were running the business into the ground, most days neither of them were working. If I was strapped for cash and about to lose my business I would be working behind the bar from open to close, not hiring out the help to individuals that were supposedly stealing from you.

Auction this spring? What makes you think hunters will be able to out bid the Indians? My guess it will be owned by them by end of summer if there is an auction

I’m not a great Mille Lacs mind and do not make it up that way very often, but for the area’s sake I hope either Hunters or someone with some energy and business savy is able to take home the top bid if an auction is in the works.

A few friends who frequent the area are predicting it will end up as a tribal owned property. In my opinion, it’s not a matter of if the tribe can afford to purchase the resort – rather if they have the interest in doing so. If the tribe truly wanted the resort, why wouldn’t they have made an offer to the struggling owners to take it off their hands before this(unless they were gambling they could get it cheaper at auction)?

If it is truly going up for auction, hopefully a few informed IDO’ers can keep us updated.

It’s fairly common for people wrapped up emotionally into situations see those situations hold much more value than the reality of it.

Reality is most tribes are big business, and they invest as such. A lakeshore/resort/bar/whatever you want to call it will only bring in so much money, and not worth the investment, and most likely fight of PR with it. The tribes can make their money elsewhere. Now if they maybe need to play a hand with the gubernment they’ll express interest just to negotiate something none of us will ever know about.

“But they will buy it for their heritages sake!”

LOL

That horse left the stable long ago.

buckybadger wrote:

A few friends who frequent the area are predicting it will end up as a tribal owned property. In my opinion, it’s not a matter of if the tribe can afford to purchase the resort – rather if they have the interest in doing so. If the tribe truly wanted the resort, why wouldn’t they have made an offer to the struggling owners to take it off their hands before this(unless they were gambling they could get it cheaper at auction)?

We kind of went down this road last summer when Lundeen’s closed and the property was bought by the ML Band.

The ML Band has been focused on buying up what is within this 1855 Reservation boundary. There may be a few exceptions but most of what they purchased has been within this boundary.

To answer your question…The Wharf property is north of this boundary.

There were some that thought I was a crazy man or had some kind of hidden racist agenda by posting my observations but I think if you look you’ll find a pattern.

Who knows? Maybe the ML Band does end up buying it and I’m a crazy man after all.

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Been kicking around the Wharf/Flagship since it was built by Jim Deal. Had a camper in the main Wharf area and also in the back RV lot for about 12-13 years. Spent a lot of weekends sleeping in the back of my pickup topper there in the early years. Young and broke but always called the place home. Brother was married on a Flagship launch. Have a lot of history there. Saw the Flagship / Wharf split. Anyone remember the Warrior Boats dealership behind the Flagship? Or the big tourney days of the Whacker era? Fun times for sure.

Pretty much run out of there by there terrible management from the last owners. Kinda surprised they lasted as long as they did.

Anyway, as long as we are tossing out theories, here is mine….

The place will get split into two businesses. The main Wharf camping and bar will be one. The back RV lot and Ice House pole barn/storage into another. I could see George Nitti interested in the back RV lot/Ice house area back there. Would seem to be a better fit for his business model. Not sure how the ice business will shake out. Possibly move all that to the back lot. Or Hunters just takes over the ice house pulls from the Wharf lot on seperate contracts. I do not see the tribes buying the property. Too much work for little profit. Worse case scenario in my mind would be a very wealthy individual buying the property and clearing the area for a personal McMansion.

-J.

All great info guys.
Love to hear the theories, stories and history of the place.
MM

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sticker wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bigcrappie wrote:</div>
Hunters is not the new owner yet. The bank is paying them to run it till it goes up for auction maybe this summer. This is from Tony Nitti

Exactly, there will be an auction in the spring. Old owners were terrible. I hope Hunters buys it, but we will see. I’ve been there for over 20 years and have seen several owners come and go. But I sure like the way George runs Hunters!!

This is what I heard too, that Nitti’s was contracted to operate the ice fishing business this year…to whatever extent that was?

Wharf had a number of ice rental houses, but I never saw any offered or advertised and I never heard of anyone going out of the Wharf this season either. I know Wharf’s big truck they used for pulling houses on and off the lake was sold last fall.

sticker, you have a camper there…don’t you? What have you been told as far as operation this summer if it hasn’t been sold yet? Have other’s been selling or planning on pulling their campers out?

I wonder too if Nitti’s has the desire and/or resources to take on the expense and responsibility of owning and operating another resort in addition to what they already have?

Yep, we have a camper there now. We have paid the summer package to Hunters/the bank for this coming year, so things shouldn’t change too much this year. The auction this spring will tell the story for the future. I know a big group of us are on pins and needles to see what will happen. Could be the end of a long era.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Anyone remember the Warrior Boats dealership behind the Flagship? Or the big tourney days of the Whacker era? Fun times for sure.
-J.

I drooled over a brand new 1890 side counsel for an entire summer at that Warrior dealer. Never could close the deal. I partook in that tourney for 5 or 6 years. Fun times for sure!

Sticker- sitting on pins and needles is no fun while you wait for the answer on new ownership!
Jon- I’m curious just how You got run out of there last summer. Every time I was there this past year- I got an ok welcome in the bar while having drinks and food.I cant comment on anything that happens outside the food and bar operation.
MM

I left the Wharf in 2007 shortly after Darren bought the place. The price hikes and service cuts did not go over well for me. Found a better deal up at the Wilderness. Bigger lot, better view for less than I was paying there. That’s why RV’s have wheels! I now have a place a few blocks away out on the point. Still visiting the bar there.

I’ll echo some of the comments above. Pretty tuff to buy a resort and think you can just hire out all of the work. The more time that went by, the less you would see of the owners. Not to mention the revolving door of employees. Never built up the kind of loyalty you need up there with the locals and the people who do business at the resort IMO.

-J.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
A few friends who frequent the area are predicting it will end up as a tribal owned property. In my opinion, it’s not a matter of if the tribe can afford to purchase the resort – rather if they have the interest in doing so. If the tribe truly wanted the resort, why wouldn’t they have made an offer to the struggling owners to take it off their hands before this(unless they were gambling they could get it cheaper at auction)?

We kind of went down this road last summer when Lundeen’s closed and the property was bought by the ML Band.

The ML Band has been focused on buying up what is within this 1855 Reservation boundary. There may be a few exceptions but most of what they purchased has been within this boundary.

To answer your question…The Wharf property is north of this boundary.

There were some that thought I was a crazy man or had some kind of hidden racist agenda by posting my observations but I think if you look you’ll find a pattern.

Who knows? Maybe the ML Band does end up buying it and I’m a crazy man after all.

Actually Andy that doesn’t sound crazy at all… From a cultural stand point it would make since to purchase everything within the 1855 boundary. I’m in your corner on this one… Maybe after the auction we’ll both be crazy.

Anyone have any updates on the sale? Curious how the ice house biz went over winter. Are they renewing camper leases?

-J.

The Ice house season went on as usual. Albeit, not nearly as many rentals out as most years. But, they did have an ice season. Still haven’t heard a word about the sale..

Since Nitti bought Liberty Beach, I’m wondering if it was to much of a headache to get the wharf compliant/updated?

Wish I had more info. I really liked going to the Wharf for breakfast on Saturday mornings.

The latest info I have is no owner yet, but George is very close to closing the deal…we will see. Hunters is again running the resort for the bank.