A concessionaire is being sought for the Mabry Mill gift shop and restaurant/NPS file

The National Park Service recently released a prospectus seeking proposals for operation of a combination restaurant/gift shop at one of the most popular stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Mabry Mill, a grist mill constructed in the early 1900s, plus several other historic structures including a cabin and blacksmith shop, are a major draw for travelers, many of whom stop to explore the historic area, browse the gift shop, and get a bite to eat. Mabry Mill, at milepost 176.2, is likely the most photographed landmark along the entire 469-mile parkway. The restaurant and gift shop each occupy approximately 800 square feet in the same building that is a short walk from the historic area.

Requirements for operation of the restaurant and gift shop are as favorable to the concessionaire as we’ve seen in a National Park Service prospectus. NPS is requiring a limited work week with the restaurant open a minimum of five hours a day, four days a week. The successful bidder would likely want to put in more hours and days than required during busier parts of the season, especially October when mountain foliage along the parkway is a major tourism draw. 

Another big plus is a required minimum fee of only 1 percent of gross receipts to be paid to NPS as a form of rent.  Consider the prospectus for operating Zion National Park’s food and lodging demanded a minimum fee of nearly 30 percent of gross receipts.  Bidders can always propose to pay a higher fee in an effort to increase their chance of gaining the contract. 

The Mabry Mill prospectus also requires the concessionaire to contribute 2 percent of gross receipts to a reserve to be used for maintaining the facilities. In addition, an outlay of $34,000 in each of the first two years will be required to cure deferred maintenance issues.

The previous concessionaire informed the Park Service during the final year of the previous contract it would not be seeking a new contract or extending the existing contract beyond the December 31, 2023, termination date. The gap was filled by NPS partner, Eastern National, that agreed to operate commercial services at Mabry Mill during 2024.

The Park Service forecasts the new concessionaire will generate annual gross receipts of between $600,000 and $900,000 in 2025, the initial year of the 10-year contract. Two-thirds of revenues are expected to originate from food and beverage sales. The current concessionaire generated receipts during the last three years of $567,493, $671,597, and $738,542.

It is estimated the successful bidder will require an initial investment of approximately $320,000, most of which will be for acquisition of personal property. Other expense items included in the total are inventory, working capital, and start-up costs.

Individuals interested in submitting a proposal for the commercial operation at Mabry Mill are required to notify William Gordon at the NPS regional office at [email protected] by 2 p.m. EST on August 5.  Individuals interested in attending a site visit to the restaurant scheduled for June 27 are to notify NPS concession specialist Laura Nelson at least a week in advance at (828) 348-3407, or email [email protected].

David and Kay Scott are authors of “Exploring the Oregon Trail” (Globe Pequot).  They reside in Valdosta, Georgia.