PONDERAY - After five successful years in business, Wendy and Jeff Sater, owners of Hooties at the Elks, will serve their final meal at the venerable restaurant in April.

With much deliberation and a heavy heart, Wendy Sater came to the conclusion that balancing her time between Hooties and her other restaurant, the Hoot Owl, was no longer feasible.

"I think it's been a great union, it really has. They've been awesome and I hate to leave. If it were my only gig I would have been able to keep going with it, but when I was here I needed to be there, and when I was there I needed to be here," Sater said from the kitchen of the Hoot Owl.

Elks officials are confident they will find a replacement for Hooties before April, but admit that living up to the reputation built by the Saters will be no easy task for the next restaurateurs.

"Finding a clone of Wendy would be ideal. She's just a phenomenal person. It will be a very tough act to follow because she really takes care of us," said Elks board member Linda Tatlock

Tatlock's sentiment is shared by former board member Steve Klatt, who was part of the group that brought Hooties to the Elks in 2003.

"Wendy and Jeff just have an incredible work ethic. They seem to be able to work 20 hours a day while, surprisingly, keeping a gracious demeanor day after day after day," Klatt said. "I think I can speak for everyone involved with the Elks when I say I feel a deep appreciation for Wendy and Jeff for everything they've done. It's been a privilege."

Hoping for a seamless transition, board members are open to the idea of bringing in a replacement before April, which would allow Wendy to give the new lessee a feel for the environment. In addition to culinary acumen, Klatt and Sater said whomever takes over needs to understand and be conducive with the older clientele that frequent the Elks and the local organizations that use the facilities.

"Hopefully they'll find someone who's willing to keep the groups we have, because there's a lot of weekly and monthly groups that meet there, and they're concerned," Sater said.

Always modest, Sater said she is the wrong person to ask for advice about what it takes to run an establishment at the Elks.

"I don't think I have any good advice. If I had it all figured out I'd probably still be there, but it's just too hard to stretch yourself out like that," said Sater, who hopes to find time to cater events under the Hooties name.

While recognizing the difficulty in replacing Hooties, Tatlock wants to assure Elks patrons that there will continue to be a restaurant on site.

Anyone interested in taking over for the Saters should contact Fran or Jan McKeough at 263-3811  or e-mail the restaurant committee at [email protected].