Pin and Cue: Crowd-favorite business celebrates 40 years in Whitefish

The Pin and Cue has been part of the Whitefish community since 1984, rallying spirits and providing a gathering place for all ages. The business offers 16 slick bowling lanes, plus a diner, a bar and casino, and a laundromat. They also cater and rent space for private events.

In the 2024 Best of Whitefish competition, the Pin and Cue landed in the top four spots in 11 categories. It won Best Happy Hour and Best Place to Gamble and placed in other varied categories including Best Pizza, Place to Watch Sports, Family Restaurant, Bathroom, Breakfast and Beer Menu.

Larry Jensen and Duane Reisch built the original Pin and Cue, which included a pool hall where the laundromat  is now located. At that time, Jensen’s logging buddy found a tree that looked like a bowling pin, Jeff Fleming did a bit of carving on it and now that pin stands like a sentinel at the front door.

Mac McCracken purchased the business from Jensen in 1997 and about seven years ago, his sons, Scott and Mike McCracken, took over the operation.

The brothers both worked at the Pin and Cue while growing up. They each left for a decade and started families and careers before coming back to Whitefish. 

“When we were teenagers, I didn't like it so much, how close knit everything was,” Scott said of growing up in a small town. “But, living in the Seattle area, you kind of miss a lot of that community.”

Once they returned to Whitefish, the time was right to take the reins from their dad. Scott and Mike quickly began making staged improvements to the 26,000-square-foot building. 

“They’re doing a fantastic job,” said Mac. “They look at things differently and I love it.”

The exterior of the building recently experienced a makeover, including a new roof, and changes are also happening inside. Mike and Scott have updated the menu, purchased all new bowling equipment, new pinsetters and new seating. New flooring throughout is expected to be installed this summer. 

There is also a new scoring system for bowling that features fun games and adds a new dynamic.

“For bowling parties for little kids … it has different games you can play that aren’t necessarily so bowling-focused, which speaks to a more diverse crowd,” Mike said. “Bowling is a lot more than what it used to be.”

The Pin and Cue hosts league bowling every day but Friday and Saturday. Each of the eight leagues are USBC sanctioned and every one of them is full. 

The McCrackens are celebrating the business’ 40th anniversary with some deals from the past.

“We used to have dollar bowling on Monday nights and we’re talking way back when. It inched up to $2 and inched up … to make it feasible,” Mike said. “We thought it'd be neat to bring it back, so we’re bringing back dollar bowling from 7 p.m. to midnight on Mondays. It's fun. It's really fun.”

Scott said they’re offering drink specials, too.

THE PIN AND CUE currently employs 50 people, most who work full-time. Some employees have been with the business for over 20 years. Mike said the nature of the business allows them to always have hours for people to work. 

“No matter what, there’s something to be done here,” Mike said. “We are able to shift people around which is a nice feature which has allowed us to keep a lot of people employed here who are locals.”

The McCrackens’ involvement in the community reaches beyond the business. Mac was instrumental in the development of seventh and eighth grade football and he coached several other youth sports. He said there is more to being part of a community than just running a business.

“It’s always been more of a local establishment,” Mac said. “Obviously, we love visitors from anywhere but it seems like we have a lot of families that come in with their kids and they had come in here as kids.”

Mike said his dad is still a huge part of the Pin and Cue. He said kids come in to talk with Mac because he has had an impact on their lives. The current owners also do their best to take care of locals.

“We try to keep it casual, we’re not doing rocket science … [we] try to put out good food,” Mike said. ”We’ve definitely improved our pizzas… it's something we’re proud of.”

    Gail Watson had to use a ladder to reach the top of the 10-foot bowling pin outside the Pin and Cue in 1994. (Mark Goldstein photo)
  

    Seventh and eighth grade football team photos are displayed on the walls of the Pin and Cue. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)