Two local restaurateurs are betting on a downtown Idaho address steeped in community memory. Scott Slater and Todd Ketlinski will open Eagle Bank Club in spring 2027, converting the century-old Bank Building in Eagle, Idaho into a modern American tavern and cocktail bar designed to serve as a neighborhood anchor.
The Address Has History
The site has cycled through two beloved incarnations. The Bank Club name traces to 1933, when the building transitioned from financial institution to local watering hole — a gathering-place identity it held for decades. DaVinci's Italian Restaurant later built its own loyal following at the same address, cementing the location's role in Eagle's dining culture. Slater and Ketlinski are purchasing the building outright, a move they frame as a long-term personal investment rather than a speculative venture.
"I live in Eagle, I'm raising my family here, and I love our downtown," said Slater, who also operates Spitfire Tacos + Tequila in downtown Eagle. "When Todd and I had the opportunity to purchase the Bank Building, we saw a chance to invest in a place that already means something to our neighbors."
Ketlinski, an Idaho native, echoed the importance of earning rather than declaring community status. "The Bank Club earned that place in Eagle, and so did DaVinci's. Becoming someone's favorite table or usual Friday night is something we look forward to earning," he said.
Concept and Design
Studio H Architects is leading the interior design, blending the intimacy of a New York neighborhood restaurant with the playful, midcentury aesthetic of a Palm Springs lounge — all within the historic bones of Eagle's Bank Building. The juxtaposition is deliberate: the partners want a space that feels both polished and unpretentious, accessible enough to anchor regular visits.
The food program leans into comfort-driven American classics with a creative edge. Planned dishes include a Giant Chicken Parm, tableside chicken pot pie, and the Bank Club Burger. The kitchen's emphasis on quality at approachable price points is a clear signal that the team is building for frequency — the kind of neighborhood-restaurant model that depends on loyal regulars rather than destination traffic.
On the beverage side, martinis will anchor the cocktail program alongside classic preparations and a structured happy hour. For operators watching cocktail bar integration trends in full-service casual dining, Eagle Bank Club represents a local-market example of the tavern format gaining renewed traction — where the bar program is a primary draw, not an afterthought.
Operator Takeaway
The Eagle Bank Club project reflects a broader pattern in independent restaurant development: experienced local operators acquiring real estate rather than leasing, deepening their community stake while controlling long-term occupancy costs. For the independent restaurant segment, building equity in a physical address tied to genuine neighborhood history is increasingly a differentiator that corporate chains cannot replicate.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
