By Brandon Walker EBS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
BIG SKY – The Hungry Moose Market
and Deli has a rich and storied history in Big Sky. Founded over 25 years ago
by Jackie and Mark Robin, the parents of a familiar contemporary Mooser face,
Andrew Robin, the community staple began as a modest produce stand. Fast
forward to the present and new owners Frank and Kristin Kern recently completed
a renovation that adds more than 2,000 square feet to the Hungry Moose location
in Big Sky Town Center.
Kern was quick to reflect on how the
Hungry Moose originated from its humble beginnings. “It was an outdoor produce
vegetable market, that 25 years ago, in the fall, moved in house to a little
place down by Three Rivers,” he said. “And then as it grew, it took over the
second part of that same store. Then 15 years ago, they moved to this store,
which is right here in town center.”
The expansion began Aug. 19 and was
completed, less than four months later, on Dec. 13. The additional 2,000 square
feet more than doubled the overall size of the Hungry Moose. “We got to the
point [where] we needed more space, more storage, more deli, more delivery,
more drinks, but if you track it, it’s just an evolution that the Hungry Moose
has been part of Big Sky, and it’s just grown with Big Sky,” Kern said.
He went on to describe that he
wanted to keep the same design themes the Hungry Moose has become known for,
throughout the expansion, even down to the colors painted on the walls. “It’s a
pretty awesome opportunity too, to fine tune our selection and make sure
everyone’s got everything they’re looking for,” said Andrew Robin.
A myriad of items were brought in to
inhabit the added space; a beer cooler, a small grab-and-go cooler, two flower
coolers, a freezer and a new produce cooler top the list of new utilities. More
seating space, a soup and salad bar, a vehicle to keep up with shopping
deliveries available to any location in Big Sky, custom flower arrangements,
and more than 100 wine selections are also joining the Hungry Moose offerings.
“All the different steps and
evolution that we’ve seen and I think this is the right step. Everyone asks me
what is my dad thinking about all this right now,” said Robin, donning his late
father’s Christmas hat as he spoke. “I honestly think he would be really
excited to see it the way it is. It’s kind of continuing on the legacy in a
positive [and] pretty exciting way.”
To accompany the expanded seating
area, which sits adjacent to the Hungry Moose patio, Kern hopes to bring events
such as open mic nights, live music and even poetry readings to the community.
“We’ll be able to do events out there. We can play music on the patio, we have
lights, it has a railing,” he said.
The finishing touch on the expansion
was the installation of a weathervane on the top of the Hungry Moose roof—as if
it was meant to be, the weathervane happened to belong to Big Sky founder, Chet
Huntley, and features a moose.
Kern
even hung a plaque in the seating area paying homage to Huntley. It’s a fitting
gesture—just as the former broadcaster left his mark on the community, so too
has the Hungry Moose impacted the community indefinitely.
