Owners of popular Pocatello restaurant launch new transportation venture

POCATELLO — For Jennifer and Rory Erchul, the lack of hotel shuttles and unreliable ride-sharing services has left southeastern Idaho without a safe, comfortable and dependable transportation service.

So, the co-owners of the Yellowstone Restaurant have launched a ride service — Yellowstone Transportation.

“We saw that there was a niche there that we could carve out, and provide a private car service that is upscale,” Rory said. “You know who’s coming to get you, you know you trust them.”

For now, the company has one car — a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk — but, as Jennifer said, there is definitely a possibility this business could grow into something much larger.

“We’ll grow it as the need arises,” she said.

There is also only one driver — a friend of the Erchuls who owned a private driving service company in Arizona before retiring.

The service Yellowstone Transportation provides is something Jennifer wished had been around when her three children were young.

“It would have been so nice to know that there was safe, reliable transportation that I could say, ‘every Thursday, I need you to take my kid from here to here and then from there to home,'” she said. “I would have totally used that.”

Currently in its infancy, Yellowstone Transportation is offering rides around town for a flat rate of $15. You can also book a ride to the Pocatello Airport, for $20, the Idaho Falls Airport, for $60, or the Salt Lake City Airport, for $155, among other advertised destinations.

Rory said he checked Uber out of curiosity, and found that a ride from Pocatello to the Salt Lake City Airport would be about $350. And the Salt Lake City shuttle, he added, would not be his first option for travel.

“It’s cheaper than the shuttle, it’s cleaner than the shuttle, it’s private and it’s on your schedule,” Jennifer added. “We want to be that safe, reliable, comfortable, affordable option for people to get everybody where they need to go on time.”

For more information about Yellowstone Transportation or to book a ride, visit the website — here — or the Facebook page — here.

Bison Room

While Yellowstone Transportation is currently an entity completely separate from the Yellowstone Restaurant, the Erchuls plan to use it as a shuttle service for the Yellowstone Hotel when they get it reopened — which has been a goal for a while.

The restaurant has seen its own recent addition, however.

In June, Rory and Jennifer opened the “Bison Room” — a private catering room that can be reserved for parties up to 50.

The Bison Room has its own private restroom and separate bar, as well as two big-screen TVs which can be used for viewing parties or presentations.

So far, the Erchuls said, it has been used to host baby and wedding showers, bourbon and boardgames nights, company parties and corporate meetings. But the opportunities are endless.

“It’s really accommodating to just about any private event need,” Jennifer said.

Larger parties are offered the Yellowstone catering menu, while smarter parties can choose from the catering menu or the dining room menu. There is also a room use fee — which covers the setup, cleanup and staffing of the room. But the room fee is waived for not-for-profit organizations.

Due to the needs linked to serving parties, all Bison Room reservations must be made through Jennifer, by calling or emailing the restaurant. Contact information can be found at the website — here — or on the Facebook page — here.