40 UNDER 40: Hallie Payne

If Hallie Payne could share one piece of advice with her younger self, it would be this. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “One day, you’ll look at what you achieved and realize it was once a dream.” 

Payne, the general and bar manager for 113 Main in Sandpoint, has been in the restaurant industry since she was just 17 years old. 

“While working full-time through college, I fell in love with the energy of hospitality—the ability to create memorable experience for guests through service, atmosphere and especially through thoughtfully crafted cocktails,” she said. 

Payne attended college to become an elementary school teacher, and while she doesn’t use the degree she earned in her current line of work, she said her studies and her real-world experience taught her to be organized and professional. Those experiences also instilled in her a dedication to her work. 

“I had many great mentors throughout my career, from bartenders and servers who have been in the industry longer than me to restaurant owners who saw my potential and trusted me to lead their staff and represent their business,” she said. 

Payne said her goals over the next five to 10 years include expanding 113 Main through new and exciting drinks and expanding the wine and catering programs.