Ted Hawley, co-owner, and Max Monthei, general manager, are shown behind the well-stocked bar at The Captain’s Pick at Lake Panorama National resort. The Captain’s Pick team is gearing up to be open additional hours and welcome more customers for the busy 2026 season.
Co-owner Ted Hawley says the team is working on plans for live music events to fill open weekend nights this summer.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
It’s been one year since a new partnership brought year-round food and beverage service back to Lake Panorama National Resort. In February 2025, LPN reached an agreement with Ted Hawley and Joe Wells of Alpha Ventures LLC to operate the bar, restaurant and banquet facilities in the LPN clubhouse, plus the Spikes snack shop.
The Captain’s Pick at Lake Panorama National Resort now is in its second year of operation.
“Year one went as well as we could have expected,” Hawley says. “Our event season went very well, as we figured out what works, what doesn’t, and buying trends for this area that are different from the Des Moines metro.”
Last November, The Captain’s Pick at Lake Panorama Resort hosted two shows featuring Nashville songwriters Adam Sanders, Jordan Walker and Jerry Flowers. The trio took turns sharing background stories about the hit songs they’ve written, before performing each song. Another Nashville Writers’ Round will return July 24 and 25. Tickets will be available toward the end of April.
“There won’t be a lot of changes, but we will be adding some things,” he says. “One thing is a salad bar. We’re also adding some wraps, and we will be changing our burger from a smash patty to a thicker one. Our popular soft serve ice cream machine will be back for the summer season.”
Discussions are underway about operating hours for the spring and summer season.
“We do know starting in April we will be open for lunch again on Saturdays,” Hawley says. “One of the bigger struggles we had last summer was being open for lunches, especially during the week, and because we didn’t have the kind of traffic we need.”
Hawley says notices will be posted on The Captain’s Pick social media outlets as open hours are adjusted through the spring and summer months.
Hosting outside events is a significant part of the business model for Hawley and Wells.
“I thought we had a great first year with our event season,” Hawley says. “We will have most if not all of the same events back this year and have added several wedding bookings for this season. We’ve had a few funeral luncheons over the past year; that was some added business we didn’t foresee before taking over.”
In February, a group of 20 volunteers put a fresh coat of paint on the Lake Panorama National banquet room walls.
“After 25-plus years of the old green chairs in the banquet room, we will have all new chairs there by early April,” Hawley says.
Catering to other locations is another part of the business model.
“We didn’t have a lot of catering in year one. But we already have a wedding catering on the books for this year, and have been gaining some steam there. We hope to keep building on that aspect of the business.”
Spikes, the food, drink and restroom facility between the first and 10th tees on the LPN golf course, opened in mid-March for two days of great weekend weather.
“Deb Douglass is back managing Spikes again,” Hawley says. “She was great for us last year. We will be fully operational soon. There will be some new food offerings at Spikes this year. For instance, there will be pizza. There also will be pimento cheese sandwiches, just like Augusta National for The Master’s.”
Hawley says they are fortunate employee retention has been good, so not as many people need to be hired this year compared to the same time last year.
“We continue to have our main core in the kitchen with executive chef Nick Smith and our amazing sous chef Craig Pote,” he says. “Max Monthei continues to manage the front of house. We have had some of our seasonal help reach back out already. Once we finalize our hours, we will be hiring some seasonal help for the summer.”
Hawley says the team is working on plans for live music events to fill open weekend nights this summer.
“We’ve also finalized dates for our Nashville songwriters and singers to return,” he says. “The dates are July 24 and 25. This will be the third time bringing Nashville-style live music to Captain’s. Watch for tickets to be available toward the end of April and know these will sell out fast.”
Hawley says The Captain’s Pick team is excited to be entering its second year at Lake Panorama National Resort.
“We continue to finetune things to better serve Lake Panorama and the surrounding community,” he says. “This year we partnered with the Panorama Schools on a reading program for students in preschool through fifth grade. The Captain’s Club Reading Challenge offers a free kids’ meal with completion of a specific number of minutes reading at home. It has been good to get more involved with the school and community, and we look forward to doing more.”
Last December, the operating agreement between Alpha Ventures LLC and Lake Panorama National was extended through the 2026 season. Plans are in place to work toward a long-term lease agreement by the end of this summer.
Those interested in off-site catering or planning an event at The Captain’s Pick can email captains@lakepanorama.org.