Twisp River Tap House
Reopening · Opening before the end of the year

Twisp River Tap House

The Methow Valley’s riverside pub is reopening in phases. Phase 1: dinner and a full bar, Wednesday–Sunday, plus catering and private events booked with deposits. More comes later, only once the milestones are met.

201 Methow Valley Highway N · Twisp, Washington

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Our story

Why we’re reopening

We moved to the Methow Valley in March 2024. One of the first places we went out to eat was the Twisp River Tap House, and it has held a special place for us ever since.

We aren’t from the valley, so we bring a fresh outside perspective. We’ve eaten at, and operated around, everything from high-end restaurants to fast-casual concepts.

Residents have told us they feel sidelined in tourist season. We want a place that treats locals as the core guest and still welcomes every traveler on the North Cascades Highway.

“Keep Methow Valley Methow Valley.”

We’ll use valley meats and produce when quality, price and availability allow, and we’ll be honest when they don’t. The goal is a sustainable kitchen, not a slogan that breaks the budget. Other valley kitchens already do this well, and we intend to join that practice.

We love food, hospitality and entertaining. Customer experience is our language.

A thriving riverside gathering place that sources valley products when cost and season allow, treats locals as the core guest, and still welcomes every traveler.

Dominick & Tarah Wernicke
The place

Right on the Twisp River

About 6,200 sq ft indoors and out, with an existing commercial kitchen, stage, sound system, patio and event infrastructure. Food operations closed in late 2025; we’re bringing them back.

Phase 1: Main room (Unit A)

Main bar, commercial kitchen and dining room (10 tables, about 40 seats). This is where Phase 1 runs: dinner and the bar, Wednesday–Sunday.

Riverfront patio

250 ft of private, high-bank Twisp River frontage and a 3,500+ sq ft enclosed riverside deck and patio for dining, live music and events, May–September.

Units B & C

Closed off in winter to save heat and staff time. They become catering prep and baking space in Phase 2.

Grab-and-go (Phase 2)

A small take-out counter by the front door for highway and trail traffic, added only after the Phase 2 milestones are met.

Phase 1 uses only part of the building. Unused rooms close in winter, and we grow into the rest only when the results say we can.

The riverside deck
The Twisp River
The dining room
For people who live here

Twisp River Locals Club: $99 a year

Residents told us they feel thrown aside during tourist season. The Locals Club is just for people who live here.

  • 20% off cocktails
  • 10% off food every visit
  • Exclusive discounts on ticketed events
  • Residents-only
  • Year-round recognition
$99
per year · residents only

Our goal is 354 members, about 20% of Twisp and Winthrop residents.

An upside, not part of our base numbers. We count the Club only once people actually pay for memberships. If people don’t sign up, we’ll change it or drop it.

Reserve a founding membership

Benefits start when we open. Reserving here takes no payment yet; we will share full membership terms, including refunds, before collecting anything.

Not an investment.

Catering & events

Weddings and private events across the valley

Full-service and drop-off catering for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners and private events, mostly off-site across the Methow Valley in partnership with other venues. Every date is held with a deposit, and we staff only what’s booked. Dominick previously ran a catering company built on off-site events.

Packages

Starting ranges, per person

Good

Valley Classic

Food
$32–38
Beer & wine bar (4 hrs)
$18–26
Best for
Casual parties, reunions, staff events
Better

Tap House Buffet

Food
$45–55
Full bar (4 hrs)
$32–45
Best for
Most weddings, corporate events
Best

Methow Elevated

Food
$60–75
Premium full bar (4 hrs)
$45–58
Best for
Destination and premium events

Service charge (18–22%) and WA sales tax are additional.

What we cook best

Smoked meats, Columbia River steelhead, Asian-fusion options, pretzel and queso, elevated appetizers, strong vegetarian/vegan options and scratch desserts.

Ask about catering

How booking works

  1. We reply to inquiries within 24 hours and send a digital packet within 48 hours.
  2. You get a formal proposal within 5 business days of your tasting.
  3. A 30–50% deposit confirms your date.
  4. Final headcount is due 10–14 days out.
Meet the team

Owner-operators, on the floor

Dominick Wernicke

Owner / Operator

Business consultant with a track record of turning around struggling operations. Owned and operated a full-service catering company focused on off-site events. Leads operations, events, purchasing and catering sales.

Tarah Wernicke

Manager

Graduate of a high-end bartending school with extensive experience running front-of-house. Leads service standards, the bar program and the guest experience.

Together we previously ran a catering company and the Idle a While Motel. Both of us will work every Phase 1 shift, and we take no pay in Year 1.

Phase 1 crew
RoleCount
Owners, on the floor every shift2
Lead cook1 full-time
Line / prep cook1 full-time
Bartender1 full-time
Server / host1 part-time
Dishwasher / prep1 part-time
Summer help (June–September)About 2 full-time equivalents
Event crewsPer event, paid from the client’s service charge

About $18,200 a month year-round, plus about $9,000 a month in summer, including 25% for payroll taxes, workers’ comp and paid leave.

How we hire and keep good people

  • A crew we can keep all year: a small, steady team we can keep busy in winter, not a big one we have to lay off.
  • Fair pay: $20 an hour, plus tips for servers and bartenders, a kitchen tip-share and a year-end bonus for people who stay through the season.
  • Predictable schedules: the same Wednesday–Sunday schedule every week, posted well ahead, with two days off in a row.
  • Cross-training: everyone learns at least two stations, so one sick day doesn’t close a night. Core crew get first pick of event shifts.
  • Seasonal core: the year-round crew stays through winter, and summer help covers June–September.
  • Local hiring first: new Catholic Charities and Mill Town housing in Twisp should widen the local labor pool. We have no housing partnership and aren’t counting on one.
  • If we can’t staff five nights, we run four strong nights rather than five tired ones.

Building the team

Investors told us two owners aren’t enough of a bench, and we agree. Here’s the plan, by role. We don’t name people until they’ve signed on.

  • Before opening: a lead cook. Advisors: a bookkeeper or accountant for monthly numbers, a small-business attorney for investment documents, and an insurance broker. We also want an experienced local restaurant mentor.
  • Phase 2: a floor manager, so the two of us aren’t the whole management team, and a catering lead hired only against booked deposits.
  • Partners: we’d welcome one or two more partner-operators, such as a couple or friends who want to share the work and the stake. We haven’t found them yet.
  • Investor updates: we plan to send investors a short monthly update with sales, guests served, event bookings and cash on hand.
Community impact

Good for the valley

Local jobs first

A small year-round crew at $20/hour plus tips, with payroll taxes, workers’ comp and paid leave budgeted on top of wages. Kitchen tip-share, a year-end bonus and predictable schedules. Outside help is only for the summer peak.

Valley sourcing when it fits

Valley farms supply pork, lamb, beef, goat dairy, produce, fruit and honey. We’ll put local on the menu when we have a reliable farm and a price that keeps plates affordable for residents.

A room for locals

The Locals Club, year-round entertainment, and a riverside space for the whole community.

Complementing, not competing

Off-site catering partnerships with other valley venues, alongside the valley’s existing restaurants.

The opportunity

Financial highlights

Projections, not results

First 12 months of operation, modeled on an opening before the end of the year, so our first months fall in the slow winter season. After local investors told us our first projections were too optimistic, we rebuilt them around a more careful base case.

≈ $803,000Total sales, conservative base$803,212 projected for the first 12 months. This is what we plan around.
$455,682Restaurant food & drinkPhase 1 dinner and bar, 5 nights a week
$347,530Catering & eventsAbout 36 events ($289,608) plus the client-paid service charge ($57,922)
Month 7First month covering all costsMay, when summer traffic and wedding season arrive

No Locals Club money is in the base case.

Three cases, first 12 months
Conservative base
what we plan around		Upside
our earlier full plan		Downside
things go badly
What it assumesPhase 1 only, catering at two-thirds of our earlier plan, no Locals ClubFull-day service, catering at plan, 354 Locals Club membersBase with 20% fewer dinners and one-third fewer events
Catering eventsAbout 36About 54About 24
Total sales$803,212$1,155,731$597,390
Operating profit (before financing payments)$80,086$103,510($35,798)
Cash left after financing payments$7,873$31,296($108,012)
First month covering all costsMonth 7 (May)Month 7 (May)Month 8 (June)
Lowest cash with a $250,000 raise$71,326 (April)$82,689 (April)Runs out in the second winter unless we act
Second year: sales / operating profit$907,395 / $127,362$1,388,354 / $166,374$671,304 / ($5,477)

How the conservative base is built

  • Dinners a night: about 25 in winter (November–April), 40 in May and October, 60–75 in summer
  • $42 average check for food and drink, 5 nights a week (Wednesday–Sunday)
  • Dining room: 10 tables, about 40 seats
  • Crew: about $18,200 a month all year, plus about $9,000 a month June–September
  • Owner pay: none in Year 1
  • Not included: any money from Phase 2 or the Locals Club

The market

  • 276 weddings a year in Okanogan County
  • Average wedding cost $25,625
  • About 98 guests on average
  • Estimated $2.1–2.3 million a year in catering and food & drink spending
  • Our base case: about 36 events in the first 12 months at about $8,000 each, starting in month 3, every date held with a deposit

Source: The Wedding Report 2025, Okanogan County. We don’t have published figures for similar local restaurants, so we haven’t made any up.

How the first year unfolds (conservative base)
MonthsSalesOperating profitCash at end
1–3
Opening, winter		$68,202($45,523)$119,924
4–6
Late winter, spring		$94,983($30,544)$71,326
7–9
Spring into summer		$316,560$76,180$129,453
10–12
Late summer, fall		$323,467$79,973$191,373
Year 1$803,212$80,086

Operating profit is before financing payments. After financing payments, the quarters are ($63,576), ($48,597), $58,126 and $61,920, or $7,873 for the year. Cash assumes the full $250,000 raise.

What the numbers do and don’t show

  • Every winter loses money. Opening costs plus the first winter use about $179,000 of the raise before summer. The lowest cash point is about $71,000 in April (month 6), and the raise is sized to carry it.
  • Break-even: the restaurant alone needs about $49,300 a month, about 54 dinners a night. Including financing payments, it needs about $59,900, about 66 dinners a night. Only June through August clear that on dinners alone.
  • Catering fills the gap. An average $8,000 event leaves about $5,350 after food, drink, the event crew and fees. A winter month is about $21,000 short.
  • Weaker case: if sales run 20% light and events a third light, the business loses money in Year 1, and without changes cash would run out in the second winter. Our downside plan (close the dining room December–April, catering only, no owner pay) keeps cash just above zero, about $4,000 at the low point.

An honest note. Even our careful base case loses money every winter, and catering is still the least proven part of the plan. That’s why we start small, hold every event with a deposit, keep a cash reserve, and add services only when the milestones are met. Breakfast, lunch and the Locals Club are upside, not part of the base numbers.

Figures come from our business plan and 24-month cash-flow model (October 2026). They are forward-looking estimates, not guarantees, and actual results will differ.

Funding the reopening

What it takes to reopen

$250,000

We’re raising $250,000 of working capital to open Phase 1 and carry the business through its first winter, with a cash reserve. It is not for buying real estate or major construction.

Minimum to open: $200,000. On the lean path we’d still open Phase 1, with four nights a week (Thursday–Sunday) January through April and no owner pay until the Phase 2 milestones are met. Below $200,000, we won’t open. (An earlier draft said $125,000–$150,000. Under our careful numbers that runs out of cash in the first winter, so we raised the minimum.)

Our commitment

Both of us work every shift, and we take no pay in Year 1. We’re paying for pre-opening licenses, deposits, insurance and smallwares with our own cash where we can.

If it doesn’t work: our rules

  1. Before opening: we open only with a signed lease, licenses on track, at least $200,000 committed, and deposits for our first summer events. Until then we won’t spend raised money on rent, payroll or inventory.
  2. Every month: we compare sales, dinners served, bookings and cash with the plan, and share the results with investors.
  3. After the first summer: if June–September sales come in more than 20% below the base case (under about $396,000), we switch to the downside plan before the second winter: dining room closed December–April, catering and private events only, no owner pay.
  4. If that still isn’t enough: we wind down in an orderly way while there is still cash, pay our bills, sell the inventory and equipment the business owns, and settle with investors under the terms of their investment documents.

Specific investor protections have not been decided and will appear only in formal investment documents.

Our pitch deck & business plan

We share our full pitch deck and business plan on request. Each request is reviewed personally by Dominick and Tarah, and approved requests receive the documents by email.

Request the pitch deck & business plan
Which documents?

The documents are for information only and are not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

Planned uses of funds at opening
UseAmount
Opening inventory$32,500
Licenses and permits (liquor, health, business, catering endorsement)$6,000
Launch marketing (dinner opening and outreach to wedding planners and venues)$7,500
Hiring and training before opening$8,000
Smallwares and point-of-sale (POS) setup$7,500
Cash reserve for true surprises (held in cash)$25,000
Working capital (the first winter, the ramp-up, and opening deposits and fees)$163,500
Total$250,000

Funded by the $250,000 raise. Locals Club memberships are not counted.

Get involved

Invest, or simply support

Two different ways to help. Investing will happen only on a registered funding portal. Support is a contribution, not an investment.

Investment · coming soon

Invest in the Tap House

Investments of any size are welcome. A raise like this is many commitments added together, and we’d rather have many neighbors with a stake than one large investor.

We plan a community crowdfunding round on Wefunder, a registered Regulation Crowdfunding funding portal, so people can invest small amounts. It isn’t open yet. You’ll choose your amount on the portal, subject to its minimum. All investment terms, risks and disclosures will be shown there, not on this site.

Coming soon: join the interest list

Investor interest list

Testing-the-waters notice. We are considering a Regulation Crowdfunding offering and have not yet filed an offering statement (Form C) with the SEC. No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, it will not be accepted. No offer to buy securities can be accepted, and no part of the purchase price can be received, until the offering statement is filed, and then only through a registered funding portal. An indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

Not an investment

Support the reopening

Want to help without investing? Chip in any amount toward getting the doors open, or reserve a founding Locals Club membership.

Contribute any amount Reserve a Locals Club membership ($99)

Contributions and memberships are not investments. You receive no ownership, equity, interest, profit share or repayment. Contributions to Zoe Ophelia Holdings LLC are not tax-deductible.

Pledge your support

Not an investment · not tax-deductible. No payment is taken on this site yet. Tell us what you’d like to give and we’ll email you a secure payment link when contributions and memberships open.

Any dollar amount.
Timeline & milestones

Road to reopening: opening before the end of the year.

  1. Finalize the lease and acquisitionIn progress
  2. Close reopening funding ($250,000 target; $200,000 minimum to open)In progress

When Phase 2 starts (all four must be true)

  1. Phase 1 covers all its costs, including financing payments, three months in a row.
  2. At least $100,000 in cash after the summer, enough for the next winter plus our reserve.
  3. The Phase 1 crew is steady, and the people Phase 2 needs are actually hired.
  4. Deposits for next season’s events are at or ahead of this year’s pace.

We’ll decide on actual results, not on the projections.

Contact

Get in touch

We answer every call, text and email within 24 hours. If you don’t hear back, please try the other way: email if you texted, or call if you emailed.

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