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By Jenny Lavey, UM News Service

MISSOULA – It wasn’t a cut ribbon that symbolized the grand opening of the ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s newest building. Rather, it was a baguette, broken by UM President Seth Bodnar to commemorate the official opening of UM’s new dining hall, The Lodge.

“I’m honored to break bread today with you all as we open the doors to a facility that symbolizes a deep connection between each other and with ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú,” Bodnar said.

After three years of construction, Thursday’s event officially marked the grand opening of The Lodge Dining Center for the UM community.

In many ways, Bodnar said, The Lodge is a retelling of UM’s beloved student-centered building that also was called The Lodge and operated as UM’s student administration building from 1955 to 1998. The building was eventually renamed the Emma B. Lommasson Center in 2001.

The name “The Lodge” was carefully chosen, Bodnar said, because it reflects the deep roots of UM and the generations of students that built friendships and community, which is essential to the Grizzly experience.

Bodnar said The Lodge also is a term represented in just about every Indigenous language and culture across ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s 12 tribal nations, and The Lodge is physically situated on what used to be the wintering grounds for ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Orielle people.

“What we’re doing today is not only commemorating a beautiful new building for our campus, which The Lodge certainly is,” he said. “We also are continuing our tradition of kinship, shared meals, inclusion and community, which has been at the heart of this University since we first opened our doors. That ethos carries on in this building.”

Boasting seating capacity for nearly 1,000 people, The Lodge will serve as the campus’s primary dining center for first-year students, student-athletes, UM staff and faculty, and community members. 

Designed by SMA Architecture in partnership with NAC Architecture, the 38,000 square-foot, two-story building includes two outside dining decks and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace. It also caters to all tastes, dietary allergens and preferences.

 “There is no other building like it in the state,” said UM Campus Dining Director Rich Huffman. “We’re able to feed a lot of people quickly, with high-quality ingredients and a lot of variety. We designed the building with the student experience in mind.”

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, include late night hours and stay open until 10 p.m. weeknights.

A Love Letter to ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú

Collectively called “a love letter to ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú” by campus, The Lodge features seven dining stations, each reflecting a cultural or historical component of ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú. Sourcing ingredients from ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú farms, ranches and gardens, The Lodge dining stations include:

Square + Compass: Named after ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú'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 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s early Black settlers, baker, wife, mother, entrepreneur and former slave. Sallie opened New City Bakery and was one of ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’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 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú-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 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú and named in honor of ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú'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 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s multigenerational immigrant families who populated much of ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú, 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 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’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.

The completion of the Lodge is part of $300 million in infrastructure improvements UM has committed since President Bodnar became president in 2018.

Additional UM improvement projects have included an upgrade to UM’s heating plant, building the ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú Museum of Art and Culture and renovating Knowles Hall.

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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM strategic communications director, 406-243-5659 Dave.Kuntz@umotnana.edu.