BEULAH -- Randy and Carol Dye know a little something about running the Brookside Inn.
They owned the Benzie County restaurant and inn for a brief stint nearly 30 years ago.
But after Honor State Bank foreclosed on Brookside in October, the couple decided to give it another shot.
They plan to sign a purchase agreement this week for the rights to Brookside, a hot spot for tourists and locals alike, just off U.S. 31 in Beulah.
"We're expecting to finish the paperwork (today) or Wednesday," Randy Dye said.
Dye and Bank President Mike Worden would not discuss a selling price because the purchase agreement has yet to be signed.
When the Dyes first purchased Brookside, they overhauled the building. And that's where they plan to start this time around. Renovations will begin in the dining area.
"The kitchen is going to be totally gutted. The ceilings, the floors will be cut out," he said. "The repairs are going to be so much."
He expects the dining area to be complete by April 1, Brookside's tentative reopening date.
That's good news for many locals and tourists who frequent the historic inn for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
John Maier served up popular dishes to hungry customers for 19 years at Brookside. But the foreclosure forced Maier and other employees to file for unemployment.
"We had a lot of regular customers that came in, and you got to know them pretty well," Maier said.
Maier continues to run a movie theater in Frankfort, but said he would return to Brookside if he's offered a position.
"I've offered my services to get the building in shape," he said.
Dye said he plans to employ about 40 people at Brookside, some of whom already have been hired. No former Brookside employees have yet to be rehired, but Dye said some of them asked about openings.
The Dyes sold Brookside to Kirk and Pam Lorenz in 1981 because it competed for business with another one of their restaurants in nearby Benzonia.
"We realized that it was too close to our flagship restaurant," he said. "It wasn't really lucrative."
The Lorenzes couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.
