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JANUARY 1, 2021
9
‘Some customers are ecstatic’
WILDWOOD continued
from front page
says. “People have asked me why
I would buy a restaurant during a
pandemic, but we’ve been success-
ful because it’s in a small town and
the community is very supportive.
Ninety percent of those who have
come in here, I know by first name.
We are successful because of the
base of people who surround us.”
Due to Oregon’s COVID-19 re-
strictions on indoor dining, the
restaurant is open for takeout only
from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Since opening a few weeks ago,
Haller has added new menu items,
such as pretzel buns and a peanut
butter burger.
And the hottest seller? Deep-fried
pickles, the brainchild of one of the
cooks.
“I had my doubts, but after being
open for two weeks, we sold 1,000
deep-fried pickles,” Haller says.
“We got so busy we had to double up
on kitchen staff. A couple from Mc-
Minnville drove out here because
they heard about the pickles.”
Haller and his wife are no strang-
ers to the hospitality industry. He
worked at Spirit Mountain Casino
in food and beverage service for 12
years. She was a manager of Dor-
yland Pizza in Pacific City. They
both worked at Fort Hill Restau-
rant near Grand Ronde as well.
“We are having fun doing differ-
ent specials daily,” Haller says. “On
Taco Tuesday, we sold 140 tacos in
two hours. We will have many more
new items coming out that will be
on our dine-in menu when we are
able to offer that again.”
Haller says that the purchase of
the hotel and restaurant would not
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Tribal member Matt Haller sits in a booth in the Wildwood Hotel and
Restaurant in Willamina on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Haller and his wife, April,
purchased the hotel and restaurant in October. The restaurant is currently
takeout only, but the hotel’s six rooms are available.
have been possible without the help
of the Kendall sisters.
“They were very generous and
when we talked about us purchas-
ing this place, I told them if they
gave us the opportunity, I would
put my house up for it. They did,
and my house sold in two days.”
Most of the Willamina locals
seem happy the restaurant is open
again, giving them a different din-
ing option.
“Some customers are ecstatic,”
Haller says. “We experience a dif-
ferent relationship than you would
in a larger city because we already
know them and if not, have served
them at a different restaurant.”
As if to emphasize that point,
during an interview with Smoke
Signals before the Wildwood
opened for lunch, Haller’s grand-
father, Tribal Elder and former
Tribal Council member Bob Haller,
stopped by for a cup of coffee.
When the COVID-19 pandemic is
over, Haller says he is looking for-
ward to extending the menu, hours
and bringing back the Wildwood’s
tradition of hosting live music.
“I can’t wait to bring that experi-
ence back here,” he says.
In the meantime, he and April are
continuing to make improvements
to the building’s interior and exper-
iment with new menu items.
Although the pandemic has af-
fected indoor dining, all six hotel
rooms adjacent to the restaurant
are fully open for rental, with
COVID-19 restrictions in place.
They start at approximately $65
a night.
The hotel was built near the end
of the 19th century as the Com-
mercial Hotel when the frontier
logging town was in its early stages.
It served as host to many men who
traveled to work in the logging in-
dustry or in the town’s brick plant.
Business men and then eventually
some women moved in, creating an
informal brothel, according to the
hotel’s website.
Although it was originally a
three-and-a-half story building, the
hotel was reduced to two stories
after a fire in the 1930s. It is ru-
mored to be haunted and was once
rented by the popular show “Ghost
Hunters.”
“We stayed in there for 20 days
when we were remodeling things
and never saw any ghosts though,”
Haller says.
He and April live in Sheridan
with their two children, Cheyenne
and Robert. His parents are Tribal
member Rex Haller and Martha
Hood, and grandparents are Tribal
Elders Robert Haller and LeVeta
Sell.
The Wildwood Hotel is located
at 150 N.E. Main St., Willamina.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
for takeout only. Call 503-876-7100
to place an order or book a hotel
room or follow the business on
Facebook.
Longtime casino employee
honored with safety award
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals staff writer
Joann Mercier, a 32-year employee
of the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde and Spirit Mountain Casino,
was recently honored by the Tribal
Police Department for her contribu-
tions to safety.
Mercier, 70, who worked for more
than 13 years as casino security
director, retired at the end of No-
vember.
She received the Tribal Police
Public Safety Award because of her
contribution to public safety in Grand
Ronde, Police Chief Jake McKnight
said.
Joann Mercier
“During the start-up of the Grand
Ronde Police Department 10 years
ago, Joann had a great working relationship with the Polk County sheriff,”
he said. “This was very important because it made it easier for us to gain
their trust during the transition of us patrolling our Tribal lands. She also
was the umbrella of safety at the casino for millions of customers. I was
honored to work alongside of her for the last 10 years.”
McKnight said that Mercier’s calming demeanor helped her successfully
deal with stressful situations.
“She was able to keep all parties calm during these tough times and
made us talk through our issues,” he said. “Joann has always had this
calming effect on people for as long as I have known her. This is why I
believed she deserved the first Public Safety Award from the Tribal Police
Department.”
Free Playgroup in
Grand Ronde!
*
When: First Thursday of each
month 10:00 am-11:30 am
Where: CTGR – Community
Service Center 9615 Grand Ronde
Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347
Who: Parents and caregivers of
children under 5 years.
Why: Come to play, have a snack
and have fun!