EAGLE RIVER — The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (KML) showed an increase in revenue for July, said KML Coordinator Harvey Desnick, and sales were up 3.4 percent, compared to 2017.

“We had total sales of $175,153,” he said, “up over $5,700 with a different mix of revenue. The restaurant clearly put us over the top, with a nearly 50 percent increase in business.”

Much of that, said Desnick, is due to the addition of the dinner menu, which the lodge did not have in 2017. Income from dining totaled $37,256 for the month, compared with $24,922 for July of last year.

“I’ll tell you that overall, the performance of the restaurant has been just excellent,” he said. “I mean, the staff is doing the job and people are noticing.”

While there was a slight increase in payroll, the additional outlay was more than offset by reduced operation expenses, resulting in a $7,800 improvement in net income, rising to $58,311, Desnick said.

“August is tracking strong,” he informed the KML Board, “and I am optimistic we will turn another good month that should be profitable, and bring us closer to a break even and a good stream of income expected for Sept. and Oct. to pass on to John (Mueller).”

John Mueller is set to close on the purchase agreement of the KML on Sept. 5. The discussion at the present time is that the facility will close for the season on Oct. 15, re-open again in the spring, and starting in 2019 will become a year-round resort, Desnick said.