Forkans Take Over Ownership of Wheel Inn

The Wheel Inn marks is 75th year with a change in ownership.

Shea and Melissa Forkan took over ownership of the historic tavern two weeks ago after four months of wading through red tape and the state's bureaucracy to meet the requirements for buying the tavern.

The Forkans signed the final paperwork Thursday, July 28, taking over the bar from Doug and Laurie Richards, who owned it for 33 years.

Given the long-term success of the Wheel Inn under the Richards tenure, the Forkan's say they don't have any plans to change the business.

"We plan to keep rolling with what Doug and Laurie got started. People are happy with it," Melissa Forkan said.

Although he's not ruling out the possibility of adding specials to the menu at some point, Shea said the bar's main menu will stay the same, as will the 'World Famous Wheel Burger.' "(We're) just doing it the same way Doug and Laurie taught all of us, all the help."

He said any rumors to the contrary are just that, rumors.

Sticking to the tried-and-true business model not only makes sense to keep customers happy, but it should also help the Forkans as they continue to learn the ropes. Melissa admitted they are coming into the business without any experience working in a bar, beyond the training they got from the Richards in the weeks before the sale was finalized.

"We just jumped in and started working, jumping in when Doug and Laurie needed help. They started training us," Melissa said. "Yeah, we're pretty green.

She said Doug and Laurie are willing to continue to help out, answer questions and show them things they'll need to know.

Owning a bar is something Shea said he's always been interested in.

"The opportunity was brought to us by Doug and Laurie and we decided to move forward with it."

As he tells it, a comment by his mother may have backfired and gotten the conversation with Doug and Laurie started.

"Apparently my mom had brought it up ... told them something along the lines of 'don't you ever sell the bar to my kid,' and they thought 'oh, wonder if he's interested.'"

"It just kind of worked its way out," Melissa said.

The process to buy the bar began in March. The biggest hurdle they faced came in the form of paperwork; getting the permits and making sure each department was happy with everything.

"One department would approve one and you'd move it to a different department and you'd have to change it up a bit. It was kind of going in circles, it seemed like," Melissa said.

Although they missed the June 17 closing date intended to coincide with the 33rd anniversary of the Richard's ownership, Shea said by today's standards, it actually went pretty fast. "Talking to other people, four months isn't very long at all. It's usually six months to a year, when you're dealing with liquor licenses and stuff."

Still, there were some unexpected hurdles. A legal notice allowing for a protest of the transfer of ownership within 30 days popped up as a requirement after they'd had everything OK'd. A health inspection requirement pushed the handoff date out another month.

"Then we couldn't close (on the purchase) on a Friday because our gaming and everything would have been shut down for a whole weekend, so we pushed it back another half week. Then we finally got it done," he said.

"We hope the community supports us and we can help out the community," Shea said, adding they want to continue supporting the different activities the Wheel has in the past, and more if they can.

This year the Wheel Inn will once again be the host bar for the Bob Purdy Softball Tournament (slated to be played at Hooper Park Aug. 20-21 this year), although Doug and Laurie will continue to run the event.

Looking ahead, Shea plans to stay on as the lineman for Northwest Energy, while Mellissa will keep working in accounting for Rocky Mountain Contractors. Shea realizes they'll face some challenges along the way, particularly when it come to finding good help. "That's going to be our hardest thing, with both of us having full time jobs," he said. "It's going to be a lot."

Jerylin Dietz will handle the Monday through Friday day shifts at the bar.