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September | 2026 The sun is rising over the east bench, my lemon water steaming beside me. The birds are singing their familiar songs, with one lone seagull in the distance causing me to pause and wonder about his lost journey. There is a chill in the air this morning—the first reminder that soon sweaters and jeans will replace summer clothes, and Montana will move us into another season whether or not we are ready. I have always found a certain direction in that. The seasons demand change and adaptation. Sometimes they push us forward before we feel ready, and sometimes long after we have already felt the pull. Every once in a while, though, the snowflakes—or the hot days—arrive exactly when we are ready for them. Five years ago this month, Mike and I bought the Bull ’n’ Bear and began imagining what would become One Legged Magpie. In those five years, we have learned that restaurants have seasons of their own. Most nights, the room hums with familiar faces and laughter, and we know exactly why we chose this life. That feeling—of creating a place where people want to gather—is the great joy of hospitality. And there are seasons that ask more of a restaurant, and of the people inside it, than can be sustained without stopping to take a breath. This past year has asked our team to be wildly resilient. The past month, especially, has brought several unexpected changes within our team. Hospitality teaches you to keep going—to fill the gaps, solve the next problem, and somehow open the doors by four. After tonight’s service, Magpie will pause regular dinner service for the remainder of September. Mike and I have spent many early mornings over coffee trying to figure out how we might patch together another week. Sometimes what we need is not another patch. Sometimes it needs a thoughtful pause. This is one of those moments. The work is already underway as we rebuild our kitchen team and develop the new menu. We plan to reopen in October with many familiar faces, a few new ones, and a stronger foundation for the season ahead. We are immensely grateful to the members of our team who have continued showing up for one another through an extraordinarily difficult month. Their loyalty, tenacity, and care have reminded us that Magpie has never been held together by any one person. It is held together by people who care deeply about this place and about one another. Thank you, too, to everyone who came through our doors Thursday night, knowing that Mike and I needed to see and feel the community we have built. Thank you for every message, every offer of help, and every quiet expression of love. It has meant more than we can adequately say. We know ours is not the only hard season in this town. So many people in our community are carrying things we cannot see. Perhaps that is another reason to allow one another a little stillness, and a little grace. This will be a quiet season for Magpie—but only a season. We will see you again in October. One important note: although the restaurant will be closed for regular dinner service, all previously scheduled private and ticketed events will take place as planned. That includes Jeffrey Foucault’s return to Magpie, joined by John Convertino of Calexico on drums and Heywood on steel. Mike and I will be there too—for once, simply as guests. :) We would love to see you there. Details below. xo,
Kat (and Mike)
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