By Tucker Harris EBS STAFF
The aromas of freshly cooked lime rice and pulled pork waft from the Wrap Shack kitchen in the West Fork Plaza in Big Sky. Bright, beachy décor inside the restaurant is a welcoming escape from the wintery scene outside the door. Through several iterations of ownership, this vibrant pocket of Big Sky has remained steadfast in its tradition of serving casual grab-and-go food.
In early July of last year, peak season in Big Sky, locals Alison Adams and Shane Hammitt left their manager positions at Bucks T-4 and Beehive Basin Brewery, respectively, to re-open the doors to Wrap Shack after its former owner closed up shop in February 2021. Adams and Hammitt are the restaurant’s fourth owners since it opened in 2004.
The Wrap Shack has been a go-to lunch and dinner spot for quick, fresh eats for nearly two decades, but it’s also provided entrepreneurial opportunities for locals since its inception.
Adams and Hammitt both have many years under their belt working in the service industry, but this is their first time owning a business in the industry.
Hammitt admits that working for himself has been a welcomed change.
“It’s a lot more gratifying,” he said as he finished setting up the colorful, stickered chairs for opening. “All the effort that you’re putting in is going towards something that’s your own deal. So you just feel you get a lot more gratification out of it.”
The best part for Hammitt is seeing returning customers who not only compliment the food and business but keep coming back for more, he said.
Adams and Hammitt are currently the sole full-time employees of Wrap Shack with one part-time employee who works one day per week.
To help streamline their work and to cater to more guests’ diet preferences, Adams and Hammitt have updated the old menu, which had a list of specific burrito options, to a build-your-own concept.
Adams and Hammitt have maintained the same ingredients from the old menu, they said, assuring fans of Wrap Shack classics like the Smoking Gringo or The Man that old menu items can still be bowled or rolled up using the build-your-own concept.
“The recipes are from the original owners still so some of the traditions we’re trying to hold onto so that way it’s not a huge shock to people coming in,” Adams said.
“[The build-your-own option] gives people the freedom to pick exactly what they want,” Hammitt added. It also gives more options for those who may have dietary restrictions with gluten free and vegetarian options available, he said.
Another change to the menu is the option to make your burrito or burrito bowl into a combo meal, dubbed the “Shack Tour,” adding chips, salsa and a fountain drink for an additional $3.
Hammitt and Adams pride themselves in being one of the only lunch and dinner spots in town with casual food that is quick and easy. Acknowledging that there are many casual dining spots in town, Wrap Shack’s efficiency is what stands them apart, they said.
“For us, somebody can come in and get out in less than five minutes and have their meal ready for them,” Adams said.
Wrap Shack also offers online ordering.
“Somebody leaving the ski hill and is headed to their job or even on their way back to Bozeman can put in an order [online] so that way it’s ready to just come in and grab on their way through the meadow,” Adams said.
From the menu, Hammitt recommends the pork or steak burrito. The pesto mayo sauce always pleasantly surprises customers, he said, though mexi ranch and creamy chipotle are the two most popular.
“When you get people coming in here two or three times a week to eat your food, it’s like ‘This is awesome,” Hammitt said. “We must be doing something right.”
For the winter season, Wrap Shack is open Fridays through Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. for lunch and dinner. After a month-long break for the off-season, Adams and Hammitt hope to be open six days a week this summer if they are able to find an additional employee.
