Blanca Tatanka Restaurant Set To Open On May 1

Written by Mac Watson on April 27, 2023

A new restaurant in Cody is set to open on May 1st, and the owners say they want to bring a new dining experience to residents and tourists alike when driving down the main drag on Sheridan Avenue.

Located in front of The Scout Inn, the Blanca Tatanka is the brain-child of three locals here in Cody: Tanner Beemer, Jake Ivanoff, and Justin Vander-Werff. Tanner, the general manager of the new eatery, says the concept of the restaurant “is a little bit higher end. Kind of a bit more intimate restaurant,” and it’s for an audience who wants an “elevated” experience here in Cody. As far as a food concept, Tanner says it’s like ” 5 or 6 food trucks in a restaurant. Very eclectic, very small plate.”

Blanca Tatanka (which translates into “white buffalo”) will open on May 1st. Jake Ivanoff says the establishment will be open seven days a week from three o’clock until close. But how did the name come about? “The name of the restaurant came from a play off of Buffalo Bill being a buffalo scout,” Jake explains. Plus it just sounds cool.

Blanca Tatanka, located on Sheridan Avenue in front of the Scout Inn, opens May 1st. Photo courtesy of Mac Watson.

Born-and-raised in Cody, Tanner says he’s always been around food and the restaurant business, starting in Laramie where he went to college and then returning to his home town to work at the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill. But real life put his dreams of owning a restaurant on hold and he became side-tracked by the insurance industry. “I bought the local Allstate [insurance company] and then sold it about a year ago,” but the restaurant business was still in his veins, so he decided to open a place with his friends (Jake and Justin) because, “it’s fun and a unique opportunity to start something from scratch. [Tanner and his partners] like being downtown, contribute to Cody. Anything that makes downtown stronger,” is the kind of project he was attracted to.

As far as the space in Blanca Tatanka, Tanner says it will be able to seat 54 people and there will be a small stage for live acts to perform on, but can accommodate up to 200 people if they take out that tables and chairs for a concert. The type of music Blanca Tatanka wants to showcase is also eclectic, saying that Tanner and his partners are into the Red Dirt Country wave that has popped up in Country circles in the past couple of years. “We’ve reached out and have a couple of bands booked.”Unlike some places in town, they will be open year-round offering some different fare during the change of seasons, but “definitely cater to locals,” Tanner states. “We’ve got the menu dialed in. We’ve got some salads and a lot of other stuff that we want people to see…things like ramen, Waygu beef locally sourced, stuff like that.” The idea of Blanca Tatanka is having a place where people can gather with friends, and order things ala carte like a tapas menu, with a consistent menu.

Opening a restaurant, no matter the kind or style, can be a daunting task. For Tanner, he says it was taking that first step that was the hardest for him. “The biggest challenge is deciding what you want to do [thematically]. Taking that initial step is the hardest, once you start going things just start moving with you.”

Located at 1455 Sheridan Avenue, the Blanca Tatanka restaurant went through a total rehab with Justin and Jake spending a lot of nights and weekends in the new space, transforming it into what they had envisioned. “We wanted a Buffalo Bill western take on it, but we wanted to also have an indoor/outdoor patio. We’ll call it ‘Cody Chic,” Jake tells me. They also tapped a local designer, Yancy Interiors + Home, to give them lighting, flooring, and tile options that made the project come together. “She put a really nice touch on things,” say Jake.