How Long Will Montana Be Montana If This Keeps Happening?

My saga of complaining about Montana being sold to the highest bidder has another chapter.

As much as I complain about this, I DO understand why Montanans are selling these iconic properties.  Chico Hot Springs sold for 33 Million dollars.  That's crazy stupid money that they'd be crazy stupid to refuse.

A Look At Montana Businesses Sold to Out-Of-Staters THIS YEAR

Back in January, 2023, I wrote how Eddie's Corner was listed for sale:

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Then, in March, I did an article on the new owners of Eddie's Corner.

Social Media is Not Favorable to the New Owners

Lately, I keep running across Facebook posts about Eddie's Corner now, a few months in under new ownership, and they're not good.

Biggest Complaints From Patrons

• According to Facebook posts, they removed most of the tables in favor of gaming machines.
• The hours are 8a-3p for the restaurant, not the entire time Eddie's Corner was open like the Bauman's ran it for their 70+ year run.
• Poor service from the restaurant if you get attention at all.

Trip Advisor Reviews Of Eddie's Corner Under New Ownership

It's insulting to keep changing your hours! I traveled 300 miles today, planned on eating here and you're closed at 3pm. I checked the website this morning and it said 11pm. You just bought a restaurant and now you can't keep it open. Completely close it down and put it back on the market. Totally insane and disrespectful of a loyal customer that has been coming here for over 30 years.  -Ronald S.

Worse place ever. Sat for over 10 minutes with no acknowledgment I was even there. There was only one other person sitting down and he had already ate. Never asked if we wanted anything to drink gave us a extra small glass of water and we had drank those with in 5 minutes and she never refilled them. Instant mashed potatoes also waited another 10 minutes after we were done eating for our bill until I finally got up and found her talking around the corner so we could leave. She wasn’t even in the restaurant.  -Kari R.

This got me thinking, is this the kind of thing that will happen to the Izaak Walton Inn and Chico Hot Springs?  They're the latest iconic Montana businesses to be sold to wealthy out-of-state corporations.

The Izaak Walton Inn was sold to Loge Camps and closed this year for renovations. Seeing the "renovation word" is getting scarier and scarier in Montana.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we found out Chico Hot Springs had been sold, again, to an out of state company, Diamond Rock Hospitality.  It's been said that they, too, will be doing renovations.

I'm not sure that there is anything that can be done about what's happening under our big sky right now.  With the rate things are being sold to wealthy out-of-state people I wonder what our state is going to look like at this time next year?  It's sad and scary.

Maybe it comes down to electing a governor and senators and congressman that are actually FROM Montana like Tester and Daines.  Maybe, in our attempt to spite the other political party, we are backhandedly destroying our state.  Do we need laws that somehow restrict this without destroying the financial future of the seller?

I don't know if it starts with elected officials, I just hate to complain without some kind of an idea for a solution.

Thanks for coming to my Quit Selling My State Ted Talk.