Inside The 'Community's Living Room:' Little Traverse Inn Enters 15th Year

Scottish-born Graeme Leask figured his time in the states would be brief. Life, as it sometimes does, delivered an entirely different path.

It was almost four decades ago when Leask, from the rugged Isle of Arran, arrived in America on business. One thing led to another, and he’s run one of Leelanau County’s favorite restaurants for the last 15 years.

“Originally, I came on an eight-month market research contract for a Scottish textile mill,” he tells The Ticker. “But eight months turned into 37 years.”

Leask opened the Little Traverse Inn in 2011, taking a location that had long been known for finer dining (the charming 19th century home, surrounded by mature trees a stone’s throw from its namesake lake, had for many years housed Leelanau Country Inn) and “dumbing it down a little bit.”

“I was born and raised with a pub culture, and it's what I wanted to try and create here in Leelanau County,” he says. “I like to make comfort food. Whether it's shepherd's pie or chicken tikka masala or fish and chips, we've got them on the menu. And I’ll put our food up against anybody else in the same genre.”

But food tells only half the story of a restaurant (and inn – there are indeed rooms to rent) that’s just as much known for its atmosphere and lively music scene. It’s all part of the bigger picture to Leask, who wanted a gathering place more than anything else.

“Our goal when we opened was to be the community’s living room,” he says. “We tried to create a cozy atmosphere where people can come as they are and just feel welcome.”

The restaurant’s Indian food (included among a broad menu that includes plenty of domestic and international favorites) is very much a part of Leask’s British roots. Indian food is tremendously popular in the U.K., and Leask has fond memories growing up with it.

“As a 17 year old, I worked in an Indian restaurant in Scotland for a man named Mohammed, he was a Kashmiri guy who realized I had a passion for cooking and took me under his wing,” Leask says. “I still think of him as a mentor. Great guy.”

One of his favorite dishes isn’t exactly Indian food, but it has a splash of Indian on it.

“I absolutely love our chutney burger. It's a staple. It's been on our menu for years and years and years,” he says. We patty all our own burgers. And that one's stuffed with jalapenos, cheddar and bacon. And then we layer it with Canadian bacon, aged Swiss and a homemade apple and tomato chutney.”

The restaurant is a family affair, with three of Leask’s kids working in some capacity there.

“My daughter Gemma has taken over as our chef and she's far more talented than her dad ever was,” he says. “She’ll create a dish and go: ‘What do you think about this dad?’ And I’ll say ‘Man, why didn’t I ever think of that?’”

Leask is also thrilled to reach into a deep well of local musicians to play at the Inn.

“I thoroughly believe this part of the world is a real haven for artists, and they come and ply their trade here, which I’m so happy for,” he says.

It’s not all easy. A brutal cycle of inflation has made it much, much harder to retain the affordable price point Leask built at least part of the restaurant’s reputation on.

“Things are getting tougher. We’re just seeing such a rise in costs. Whether it’s your food costs, your payroll, utilities,” he says. “And I think it’s hard to filter that down to the customer, especially when the customer themselves, I believe, is suffering through the same thing. At the end of the day, the only real option is to raise our prices, which will just run people away. It’s a snowball effect."

Customers are also staying less at the inn – and less in the area in general, Leask says – which is not ideal.

“We’re seeing less visitation, and I think a lot of the other housing people in the area would agree that last year was quite possibly the toughest summer for selling rooms,” he says. “And that drives traffic. If The Homestead is full, we’re all doing great. If they’re not full, it’s an issue.”

So while he loves what he does and will do it into the forseeable future, Leask does have the business listed for sale if the right buyer were to materialize.