BLACK EAGLE — After nearly 14 years serving the Great Falls community, the Pit Stop Tavern at located at 1600 25th Avenue NE will close its doors Saturday, but the popular brewery and restaurant may not be gone for long.
Christa Heisler, who owns Black Eagle Brewery and manages the Pit Stop Tavern, announced the closure comes as new local owners prepare to take over the establishment.
Tim McGonigal reports - watch the video here:
"It's been a lot of sweat, blood and tears in this place for us," Heisler said.
The timing of the sale came together unexpectedly for Heisler and her team.
"It was kind of serendipity. We had kind of a plan that we weren't planning on fall into place. Something that we really couldn't say no to," Heisler said.
The Pit Stop Tavern will serve its final customers on Saturday, February 14. While Heisler describes the closure as bittersweet, she's excited about what's ahead for the space.
"Excited to see what's to come and what the changes will be. We're pretty well known for our chicken. So that's the majority of what I've heard about as people being bummed out about the chicken," Heisler said.
Regular customer Larry Lorang said he'll miss more than just the food, particularly the steak fingers.
"We used to shoot pool in here. I come to lunch or for the sporting events. We came here to watch the rodeo during the NFR, and it's just a good atmosphere. It's nice and wide open and great people, great staff," Lorang said.
For fans like Lorang, the closure may only be temporary. Heisler said the new owners are local and well-known in the community, though she couldn't reveal their identities.
"There's some people buying it, and they're part pretty much a perfect fit," Heisler said. "I know they'll be making their own changes and making it their own."
The new owners plan to continue brewing operations and maintain both the bar and casino. Heisler said it's rare to find operators capable of managing such a large, multi-faceted establishment.
"They plan on brewing and maintaining the bar and keeping the casino open. There's not a lot of places that they've taken this big of an establishment and been able to operate all venues of it," Heisler said.
Heisler estimates the new venture will reopen within a couple of months. The casino will remain open during the transition, and the more than 20 current employees will have the option to reapply under new management.
While running the Pit Stop has been challenging work, Heisler said it's been rewarding.
"It hasn't hit yet. But I think when all the pictures start coming down, that's when it's going to hit. So it hasn't, it hasn't fully hit yet. It happened really fast," Heisler said.
This article has been lightly edited with the assistance of AI for clarity, syntax, and grammar.
