Sweet Peaks takes over City Beach concessions

The folks at Sweet Peaks who brought scoops of homemade ice cream to downtown Whitefish are expanding their reach all the way to Whitefish Lake.

This summer the ice cream shop will open Burly’s at the City Beach concession stand with a menu focusing on fresh and locally sourced hot dogs, and of course, delicious cones.

Owners Sam Dauenhauer and Marissa Keenan were awarded the concessions contract from the City of Whitefish this spring.

“It sounded like an interesting opportunity and I’ve always wanted to [have a location] on the lake,” Dauenhauer said.

Sweet Peaks ice cream is known for its unique flavors and fresh ingredients — a trend the couple hopes to continue at the concession stand. Burly’s hot dogs won’t be the typical Oscar Mayer franks found shriveled up on gas station hot rollers, Keenan said.

All of the meat will come from Lower Valley Processing in Kalispell. Options will include beef dogs, chicken dogs and even a vegan selection. All of the dogs will be freshly boiled.

Some toppings will be traditional and others will venture toward the more creative side.

“We’ll have the basics and some fun stuff,” Keenan said.

“We plan to partner locally as much as we can,” she added, noting that the sauerkraut will come from a Whitefish producer.

Other menu items will include iced coffee, soft pretzels and some candy options.

Dauenhauer envisions Burly’s becoming a destination eatery with the best view in town.

“You can come down and get a cone and watch the sunset, or bring the family and have a hot dog picnic,” he said. “This is not just a concession stand.”

The name Burly’s is a fun play on the Burlington Northern railway, Dauenhauer explained.

They have already hired a dozen employees and a manager to oversee the stand, which is on top of the dozen workers at the downtown location.

Along with running the concession stand, the couple has agreed to serve meals with the city’s free lunch program. Previously the city had a mobile van that stopped at City Beach daily.

“We’re more than happy to help out with the program,” Keenan said.

Burly’s grand opening is June 13. They plan to stay open daily until dusk through Labor Day.