Patsy Clark’s New Owners Bring Fresh Perspective, Brighter Outlook For Restaurant And Mansion

When 20,000 lights blazed to life at Patsy Clark’s restaurant last Monday night, the event was celebrated with carriage rides, carollers and a 12-foot Christmas tree.

“We’ve really never had a kick-off like that,” said General Manager Christopher Mueller.

Chalk one up for the new local owners of Spokane’s historic mansion and restaurant.

The new owners also had the mansion cleaned from top to bottom - an 80-hour job - and began replacing worn furnishings. Carpeting arrived last week from Belgium to replace fading carpet in the French Room.

It’s just the beginning for Dalen Niles, his son Tracy, and business associate Steven Senescall. They have lofty plans to restore the Spokane landmark at 2208 W. Second in Browne’s Addition to its original grandeur.

“What we bring to it is the tools they haven’t had in the past two to three years,” said Tracy Niles. Those tools are thousands of dollars which will be churned into renovations - everything from replacing curtains to converting the carriage house into a banquet hall.

The Niles and Senescall, all of Spokane, formed a company called “J3G” - short for Just Three Guys - and bought the mansion and restaurant for $1.3 million. Former owner Charles Quinn, of Seattle, opened the 97-year-old mansion as a restaurant in 1982.

The mansion was designed by renowned architect Kirtland K. Cutter and built for mining magnate “Patsy” Clark in 1898.

Tracy Niles, 30, is in charge of the budget. He’ll also oversee day-to-day activities for at least the first six months. He sees himself as a “liaison to Dad and Steve.” He passes on staff feedback and ensures that his partners’ desires are carried out.

“Obviously when (Dalen Niles and Senescall) want something done, it’s going to be done,” he said.

His partners say the arrangement allows them to continue their work in real estate and investments.

Tracy Niles has had three jobs since he graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1990 with degrees in human resources management and marketing. He’s worked as a counselor at Excelsior Youth Center, a customer service representative at a mail order pharmacy and a securities salesman at his father’s investment company, Legacy.

Both Dalen Niles and Senescall see Tracy Niles’ position at Patsy Clark’s as a unique opportunity. “That’s what it’s all about, getting breaks,” Senescall said.

Tracy Niles’ ideas, enthusiasm and organization impressed a staff originally skeptical about three new owners with no restaurant experience and a direct supervisor who was so young.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh boy, won’t that be interesting,”’ Mueller said. But Tracy Niles won Mueller over. “He’s really brought some life to the process in a business sense. He’s very budget conscious and more progressive thinking.”

Catering and Sales Director Julie Raftis said the trio’s lack of experience, though daunting at first, turned out positive. “They bring a perspective to it, as just ‘Joe Customer,”’ she said.

Banks, however, were tougher to convince. Because of their lack of experience, Tracy Niles said, the trio had to search around before they found a loan source, at The Money Store.

Indirectly, Senescall does have some experience with restaurants. Growing up, he was in and out of the country clubs and yacht clubs that his father managed in Western Washington and Oregon. Senescall also operated a meat distribution company for five years, before going into insurance.

He and Dalen Niles met four years ago, while both were in Palm Springs, Calif., on business. Senescall was about to light up a cigar when Niles commented from the adjoining patio that the cigar looked good. Senescall cut it in half.

“We hit it off and became good friends,” said Senescall.

Among the trio’s long-term goals are renovating the carriage house behind the mansion from apartments into a banquet hall. That would allow Patsy’s to host more weddings, anniversary parties and other gatherings. The only time the mansion is available for weddings now is Saturday.

Another plan is to increase public awareness of Patsy’s, through advertising and community involvement. Dalen Niles, for example, said he wasn’t aware Patsy’s served lunch until he became interested in buying the mansion.

People perceive Patsy’s as being a “special occasion restaurant,” said Tracy Niles. Though the new owners want to retain that image, he said, they also want to show that their prices are comparable to such upscale restaurants as Salty’s at the Falls, the Mars Cafe and Clinkerdagger Restaurant.

Patsy’s owners also have plans to convert upstairs staff rooms into an upscale lounge with a piano player, Tracy Niles said.

In the short term, they’re focusing on renovating, cleaning and restoring. During a tour of the mansion, Tracy Niles ran his hand over fading curtains and wallpaper.

“There hasn’t been anything done since the remodeling in ‘82,” he said. “We’re trying to take each room and focus on it, get it back to the original state.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo