When Frackelton’s in Sheridan suddenly closed down last year in October, it seemed like one of the town’s favorite restaurants might be gone for good.
The restaurant business is a particularly tough one and many close for good within their first three years. But six months removed from closing, it appears that Frackelton’s is getting a revival, thanks to its founder and original owner, Kim Love.
“My wife wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about my getting back in the restaurant business,” Love told Cowboy State Daily. “But you know, it’s something where you had a lot of pride in it, and I felt that it was kind of a shame to have it go by the wayside. So, I’d like to see it come back, and hopefully we’ve got a good game plan here.”
Love first started Frackelton’s around 10 years ago. At the time, businesses at three of the four corners where Frackelton’s sits at 55 N. Main St. were shut down.
“There had been an appliance store where the shoe store is now and it shut down,” Love recalled. “And the Hallmark Store that was across the street, it had shut down, and Frackelton’s, which was formerly Oliver’s, had shut down.”
Main streets seemed to be dying off right and left about that time, Love recalled, but he hated to see that happening up close and personal in his own town.
“So I said, ‘Well, I think I can help make a contribution in the community by, you know, restarting this restaurant here, and hopefully that will have a positive impact,’” Love said. “And if you look at what’s happened, I can’t necessarily take credit for it for it all. But in the aftermath, I hopefully had a positive impact on its success, and a positive impact on Main Street and gave other people confidence.”
June Opening
Love has asked Tim Kerr to be his general manager. Kerr told Cowboy State Daily the restaurant hopes to open early to mid-June, with the timing largely dependent on hiring and training staff for the restaurant, which has long been a popular Sheridan classic.
Kerr said he’s working to line up an executive chef, but the new menu is already top of mind.
“I want to keep all of our classics the same, you know, the things that brought people back time and time again,” Kerr said. “And I also want to kind of go out on a limb a little bit, you know, and try some different things.”
Kerr anticipates having a rotating seasonal menu that will be kind of half classic, half new.
“That way people can kind of step outside of the box a little bit as well,” Kerr said. “And the same thing with the cocktail menu. I want to have the classics that people come back for and love, but then have some things that are a little bit, you know, outside of the box for Sheridan.”
Love told Cowboy State Daily that a trip to Billings is planned next week to learn about trends in the restaurant industry and make some decisions about the menu.
“I think we’ll need to modify the menu a little bit,” Love said. “Just because in the four years since I last owned it, we’ve had a lot of inflation.”
Food prices will be a component of deciding what needs to be on the menu, Love added.
“We need to have some variety of prices of foods available,” he said. “One of the things that Frackelton’s was quite good at before was they had a really robust appetizer menu, which gives the customer the opportunity to come in and order, you know, two or three appetizers and have their own kind of tapas dinner.”
Co-owner Kim Love, from left, general manager Tim Kerr and Ryan Winner, another co-owner of Frackelton's Fine Food & Spirits in Sheridan. Not pictured is co-owner Tanner Beemer. (Courtesy Tim Kerr, Frackelton's Fine Food & Spirits) 
Co-owner Ryan Winner, from left, general manager Tim Kerr and co-owner Kim Love of Frackelton's Fine Food & Spirits in Sheridan. Not pictured is co-owner Tanner Beemer. (Courtesy Tim Kerr, Frackelton's Fine Food & Spirits)
Keeping The Name
In addition to keeping as many of the “classics” on the menu as possible, Kerr said the fine dining restaurant is also keeping the Frackelton’s name.
The restaurant takes its name from Sheridan’s pioneer dentist, Will Frackelton, who was alive during the time of Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane and Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.
“Frackelton’s has a good name and a good following,” Kerr said. “You know, the community outpouring and positivity were a little bit surprising to me actually, and it’s just been absolutely incredible.”
Hundreds of locals have been posting Facebook comments on Frackelton’s page, cheering the restaurant’s revival and listing their favorite drinks and dishes in hopes they will return.
High on their list seems to be the key lime martini and the ahi tuna poke bowl.
“Yes, I need my key lime martini fix!!!!!” Wrote Amberlee Smith.
“Wisdom martini with a tuna poke bowl and truffle fries, or the green curry mussels, or the Cuban sandwich. My God, I’ve missed you guys,” wrote Jessica Sims.
“So excited that Frackelton’s is back!!!” Ami R. Puuri wrote.
Kerr said he’s already been swamped with people wanting to make reservations.
“People have been calling almost every day, and I don’t really have an opening date yet, so I can’t really put them down for anything yet,” Kerr said. “I know (our first week) is going to be crazy. I mean, it’s gonna be awesome, but I think that we are just going to do reservations only, because we don’t have a huge restaurant here. But we will do our best to fill it up.”
Before the restaurant opens, though, Kerr said Frackelton’s will do a couple of soft openings to work all the kinks out.
Love, meanwhile, said he’s keeping his fingers crossed that the restaurant will live up to all the high expectations from the community.
“I think with the team we’ve got in place, I’m very optimistic that we will,” he said.
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
