Cutting garnishes for cocktails and prepping menu staples, staff at Home Ranch Bottoms buzzed around the bar and restaurant ahead of a busy Friday night. 

Outside in the hot afternoon sun, co-owner Danny Freund was setting up the PA system for that night’s musical guest. 

“It’s a real North Fork operation up here,” he said of the off-grid establishment.  

But as the air cools down, an eager crowd arrives and a folk singer takes the stage. People settle at tables, only stirring to slap a mosquito in the buggy twilight. 

In the years since Flannery and Danny Freund opened Home Ranch Bottoms, the operation has grown to include camping, cabin rentals, merchandise and a full roster of bands throughout the summer season. The food continues to be fresh and delicious, attracting locals and visitors alike.  

Flannery estimates that the area has around 100 year-round residents, but in the summer everything changes. They see another 400 residents arriving, along with nearby seasonal staff and hordes of visitors.  

There’s no denying that the North Fork has been discovered, as visitation to the area greatly increased after the pandemic. But there are certain things that will never change the community, Flannery said. 

“It’s just been so fun to see the inner meshing of all of these people. We got old timers that have been here a long time and have seen so many changes to the North Fork ... but being in this community, whether we agree politically or not, we’ll help each other change a tire, pull each other out of a ditch. We’ll lend sugar. We’ll give each other a ride home,” she said.  

Flannery fell in love with the North Fork when she owned the Polebridge Mercantile from 2009 to 2014. During her tenure, she learned how to bake under Dan Kaufman, a previous mercantile owner who was a third-generation baker from Idaho. Kaufman introduced the huckleberry bear claw to the establishment, which is the signature pastry today.  

Flannery started to perfect her baking during the long winter months, when she studied textbooks used in the culinary curriculum at Flathead Valley Community College.  

After leaving the mercantile, she and Danny moved to Livingston to operate a bakery, where she met friend Gabrielle Johannson, who ended up helping develop the menu at Home Ranch Bottoms.  

The couple found themselves back in Polebridge during the pandemic. Flannery worked a stressful season with the National Park Service at the Polebridge entrance station, continually telling people “the park was full,” and Danny was equally stunted as a touring musician during a time when people didn’t want to risk being in a crowd.  

The couple saw an opportunity to change things up when they saw a property for sale up the North Fork. 

“It had a small little stage in the yard and a kitchen. We called a bunch of friends who knew how to bartend and run a restaurant, and they came and helped us,” Flannery said. “So, I went from turning visitors around at the Polebridge entrance station to giving them huckleberry margaritas.” 

Music was the foundation of the new business, which was a continuation of Danny’s career. He had musician friends who would come up North Fork to hang out, play in the Fourth of July parade or just sing around a campfire. It was always a place to gather for creative endeavors and to give their friends a stopover to disconnect from the touring grind.  

“So that was really one of our main visions, and then obviously, you just put butter and sugar and flour together, and they will come,” Flannery said.  

One of the friends the Freunds called in for backup was Johannson, who still spends her summers at Home Ranch Bottoms. A Livingston local who split her time between Montana and Sweden, where her parents are from — she attended pastry school abroad and returned to the U.S. to continue her career.  

When it came to developing a menu for Home Ranch Bottoms, there were a few dishes that were essential. 

“Dan wanted his smash burger, since he is from St. Louis. That became the staple of the menu. Our first year was very much like trial and error. We had so much stuff on the menu that we don’t have now. It was just me and another cook that were test running a bunch of stuff,” Johannson said.  

Now, the menu is a little more dialed in. They would eventually add a host of homemade sauces and pickles. Fryers were added to the off-grid setup in 2023, giving them the ability to fry hand-breaded chicken and French fries. 

A new item on the menu this summer: the Montana bowl is made from Montana-raised farrow and lentils. It’s based on a Persian salad, which consists of a base of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and a bunch of fresh herbs.  

“The dressing itself is also made with fresh herbs from a local just up the road, one of our neighbors grows all our herbs,” she said.  

Herbs, vegetables and fruits sourced from neighbors are not unusual, Flannery said. Throughout the summer, folks will bring in their bounty and in return, she’ll make them a fresh meal.  

These days, Flannery still loves to bake — though more pies than bear claws. Her favorite baked good is “cookies soft enough to make perfect ice cream sandwiches.” 

The display case is full of cookies, coffee cake, muffins and pie, which often is a reflection of what is in season. 

The off-grid setup spills from the building into an outdoor kitchen, which is protected from wildlife by an electric fence. There haven’t been any bear incidents since the Freunds bought the property, but claw marks on the exterior of the building show the story of a famed grizzly break-in during the 90s. 

When new hires start, Flannery ensures they learn the names of all the locals who stop by, so the restaurant remains a community gathering place.  

“We’re not the main attraction, so that affords us the luxury to have the flexibility to provide the community customer service that we just couldn’t do otherwise. We want to look everybody in the eye and make sure they’re having a good day, find out what they did, what they’re doing tomorrow and how we can help make their experience here awesome,” she said.  

There’s something about summer in the North Fork that captures the imagination — only reachable by a dusty road and flanked by Forest Service land and Glacier National Park. Home Ranch Bottoms adds to this, with the feeling that anyone who reaches their doorstep can kick off their boots, stay a while and join the party.  

The restaurant, bar, campground and cabin rentals are open May 1 through Sept. 25, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekends.

To learn more, visit homeranchbottomsmt.com. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

     Jono Munroe serves up a Huckleberry Margarita at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    The Smash Burger with a side Caesar salad at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider  

    Clare George takes a bite out of a smash burger at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Huckleberry Coffee Cake at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    The Huckleberry Margarita at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    An ice cream sandwich, two freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    North Fork Nachos at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    The Huckleberry Margarita at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    The Crispy Chicken Sandwich with garlic lemon basil aioli and french fries at Home Ranch Bottoms in Polebridge on Friday, July 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider