MISSOULA — The University of Montana opened its new dining hall The Lodge on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, and students are excited about it.
“I'm excited for like just the different options that they have available. So like the food zoo last year was a lot of you get a buffet. If you don't want that, then you either get a hamburger or like pasta of their choice kind of," said UM student Sydney Wolf. "So I really, I'm happy that they have like different menus that you can go choose off of.”
The dining hall has two floors with an open floor plan but there are seating areas that are tucked away, two terraces and seemingly countless amounts of seating and natural light.
The Lodge has seating for roughly 1,000 students and options for everyone. And a lot of those options contain food that is sourced locally, including straight from the university’s garden, with 3,000 pounds being harvested this year alone.
“My favorite part of this new dining hall is the, there's unlimited possibilities here,” said University of Montana Director of Residential Dining Kacey Gardipee. “I mean, with the culinary arts are really is, but also, you know, the art of people and hospitality, there's so much growth and potential for us to really grow into what we all want to be and what we can be for this university and what we can be as individuals. And this place finally offers that.”
Beyond the food, students are also excited about how the new dining hall provides new options for study areas, as the old dining hall left a lot to be desired.
“I’m really excited to see, it'll be more study-friendly rather than like trying to like study in like [in the] Food Zoo and...eating at the same time, like because you had to pay to get into Food Zoo no matter what, pretty much. But here you don't have to. So that's really nice” UM student Sydney Wolf told MTN.
Overall, the new dining hall will offer better food in a better environment and serve future generations of Grizzlies.
The University of Montana provided the following information about the Lodge:
First-year student students living on campus will have the option of five- or seven-day meal plans with unlimited swipes into the center. Other Griz card holders will receive a discounted rate. Public walk-in rates for breakfast, lunch and dinner will be $11, $14 and $15, respectively. The Lodge also will offer extended hours for students, including late night hours and staying open until 10 p.m. weeknights.
A Love Letter to Montana
Collectively called “a love letter to Montana” by campus, The Lodge features seven dining stations, each reflecting a cultural or historical component of Montana. Sourcing ingredients from Montana farms, ranches and gardens, The Lodge dining stations include:
Square + Compass: Named after Montana's oldest livestock brand, this station features beef, chicken and pork meals. The station offers local KOP Beef, with grass-fed, KettleHouse brewer’s grain-finished burger from Turah. Additional menu items include Thai pork burgers, Cubano sandwiches, Bahn Mi burgers and bison burgers. Square + Compass will feature weekly traditions like grilled cheese and tomato soup every Tuesday, as well as UM’s beloved tradition, Chicken Strip Night.
Sallies: Sallies is a tribute to Mrs. Sarah Brown Bickford, one of Montana’s early Black settlers, baker, wife, mother, entrepreneur and former slave. Sallie opened New City Bakery and was one of Montana’s first women to own a utility, as she became the first owner of the Virginia City Water Co. Sallies offers fresh bread, cakes, pies and Montana-made Wilcoxson’s novelty ice cream.
Yow & Yee: This station was inspired by the historic Pekin Noodle Parlor of Butte, which is the oldest family-owned, continuously operating Chinese restaurant in the nation. It was founded by Hum Yow and Tam Kwong Yee in 1909. The dining station features made-to-order noodles on a Mongolian grill. Patrons can choose from a variety of rotating proteins, vegetables, sauces and homemade broths. Add an egg roll, pot sticker or soup to enhance your meal.
La Mesa De Lula: Inspired by the voice and activism of Butte labor activist Lula Martinez, the Latin American-inspired station allows patrons to create their own specialty, choosing from a variety of fresh toppings, proteins, barbacoa or seasoned local ground beef, as well as traditional Latin sauces like chimichurri, adobo and tomatillo.
Sa Fire: Inspired by the Sapphire Mountains of southwestern Montana and named in honor of Montana's beloved state gem, the sapphire, this station offers pizzas featuring house-made dough and pasta plates. The Sa Fire station also features a commercial, wood stone pizza oven.
Terra: Named after Montana’s multigenerational immigrant families who populated much of Montana, Terra is a nod to our state’s rich mining history and offers both international cuisines and comforting, homestyle dishes. Terra includes copper Tandoor ovens for naan bread and skewers and vertical broilers for gyros and Shawarma.
Beargrass: Beargrass is named after Montana’s native wildflower and the official flower of Glacier National Park. Beargrass offers a salad bar featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients harvested from the Iron Griz Garden, a four-acre garden located just six blocks from campus, and other locally purchased greens. Beargrass also features from-scratch soups, deli plates and breakfast bowls.
Allergen-Friendly Zone: This location is free from gluten, wheat, dairy, tree nuts and peanuts and offers a variety of items to complement any dining experience at The Lodge.
