MacKenzie River, the flagship restaurant of the Glacier Restaurant Group, has shown strong growth since it was established in 1993, with the ambiance of the greater Northwest. The casual rustic atmosphere that depicts the heart and soul of the Rocky Mountains continues to appeal to guests nationwide as the restaurant chain expands in new and existing markets while opening four new locations in 2017: Rapid City, SD; Crestview Hills, KY; Las Vegas, NV; and Beavercreek, OH.
“During these economic times when other restaurant companies may be slowing down or closing locations, MacKenzie River has been growing the company to 27 locations in eight states, including our newest locations in Las Vegas, NV, and Beavercreek, OH,” says James Blystone, VP of Franchising and Communications for Glacier Restaurant Group. “It’s not often that you see restaurant companies consistently experiencing more than 20 percent growth year-over-year, and we expect 2018 to be just as strong.”
The high-growth and innovative restaurant concept is one of the reasons that Nations Restaurant News named Mackenzie River Restaurants as one of the top 20 restaurants to watch in 2017.
The MacKenzie River expansion plan has the brand growing with both franchise and corporate locations. Although the company is open to franchise locations in nearly every part of the country, the company is primarily focused on exploring their next locations in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and Utah.
“We have a great model that balances requirements of both corporate and franchise locations. Franchising his been a big part of our successful growth model—a genuine hallmark of a prosperous restaurant company,” says Blystone. “MacKenzie River franchisees enjoy industry-leading profitability with a ‘have It all’ quality of life approach that keeps them truly enjoying their work environments, which helps explain why many have MacKenzie River experience of 10 to 15 years or longer.”
The MacKenzie River concept delights guests with innovative and mouth-watering gourmet pizzas, juicy burgers, fish tacos and other offerings that are made from scratch recipes with fresh ingredients. In addition, they have creative specialty cocktails and a selection of draft beers, including the exclusive Driftboat Amber Ale, brewed by Great Northern Brewing Company out of Whitefish, Montana, and enjoyed exclusively throughout the chain.
“MacKenzie River is a unique dining experience – just as if you’re dining in the Rocky Mountains,” Blystone continues. “We believe that putting a new twist on original food favorites—like stir-fry pizza—keeps our guests coming back for more. It’s this kind of guest centric focus and innovative menu that keeps the MacKenzie River concept fresh, fun and a great place to bring the family.”
For the holidays, MacKenzie River is bringing back their “Merry Mack Lovin” dessert—gooey double chocolate chip cookies in a piping hot skillet with festive peppermint ice cream and chocolate sauce. For every Merry Mack Lovin sold, MacKenzie River is donating $1 to Toys for Tots in each of its respective markets.
