Popular Wasilla restaurant set to close doors

Two years after putting The Grape Tap up for sale, its owners have decided to close the doors.

Kristin and Casey Cook, owners of the popular Wasilla eatery since June 2015, made the announcement Nov. 7 on Facebook. They cited a desire to be more family focused.

Kristin said in the post that the decision to close “has been one of the hardest” she had to make.

“My love for food, wine, and – most of all – you, have made this an excruciating decision,” she wrote. “But my family needs my full attention. Casey has carried the weight of nightly homework, practices, and taxi runs, and it’s time I give back to them.”

The restaurant was listed for sale in October 2023. But in a challenging economy and an already challenging industry, the couple has been unable to attract a buyer.

In many ways, the decision to close marks the end of an era for the restaurant. Kristin, along with a couple of her employees, has been on staff since the restaurant first opened in 2009, under its previous owner.

Since day one, she worked as a server and bartender, helping to put the restaurant on area foodies’ radar and establish its reputation for great food and warm hospitality. She said her love for the industry and the feeling of camaraderie with her hard-working staff helped prolong the decision to close.

“My crew is so amazing,” Kristin said. “That’s the only reason we’ve been open so long.”

But she said she knows she has a lot to look forward to.

“The biggest thing is just being able to make all my kids’ events, all the hockey games, and pick them up from school,” she said. “Actually being able to make dinner and sit down to a home-cooked meal with them will be fun.”

She credited her husband, who works as a manager in the Mat-Su Borough’s Department of Emergency Services, with making it possible for her to put in the time that a successful business requires.

“A lot of people don’t realize that Casey is the other owner,” she said. “But there’s no way there could be a Grape Tap without Casey.”

For his part, Casey said he shares his wife’s eagerness to experience normal family life.

“As a family, we’re looking forward to having the mom back every night and on weekends,” he said. “That’s something that we haven’t really had the last 15 years.”

But he also understands the hole the change will leave in the fabric of what has been their existence.

“I will miss walking in to The Grape Tap and seeing the place jumping, and seeing my wife in her element, talking about food and wine and just enjoying that interaction she’s had with people,” he said. “It’s been fun and an adventure and a good learning experience for both of us. But we’re ready to open the door for someone else right now.”

Kristin said the couple made the decision in June to close by year’s end if the restaurant hadn’t sold. But they didn’t start telling staff until September.

“They were said, but they weren’t shocked,” she said. “They knew about the restaurant being for sale, and they could see me getting frustrated.”

Lisa Davis, one of two longtime staffers who have worked alongside Kristin since the beginning, said the reality of the announcement to close was “devastating.”

“I cried for days. I wasn’t surprised, but I also wasn’t expecting it so suddenly,” she said. “I’m still emotional. I understand why Kristin set a deadline to close. She’s ready to move on and be with her family.”

Davis, who is a kindergarten teacher by day, said the rest of the staff shared her sadness and sense of loss that will come with moving on from a place that has been a big part of their lives for so long.

“We love The Grape Tap. We are a family. It’s hard to say goodbye to a great place to work,” she said. “We all hope someone will buy the restaurant and we can all keep working there.”

Kristin said the aftermath of the announcement has been bittersweet. She is looking forward to the new flexibility she is giving herself, but knows she will miss so much about her time at The Grape Tap.

“We really tried to make a different product there, just serving people and giving them that little extra love that a lot of places don’t do,” she said. “I will miss the guests and my crew the most. I learned so much from so many different people.” Dec. 27 will be the last day of service at The Grape Tap. The restaurant will be open Tuesdays and Thursday through Saturday until then.