MISSOULA — It's in with the old and the new as the longtime Missoula restaurant Old Post prepares to open its doors after closing suddenly and unexpectedly almost a year ago.
The Old Post is close to opening its doors once again and back by popular demand might be an understatement when it comes to the Missoula favorite.
“Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t count them, but it was continuous. You know it's all the time people are asking me. You know when you lose a tenant that’s been in there for 20 -- more than 20 years -- it's always gut-wrenching," building owner Tim France said.
The Old Post's menu will change some but don’t worry some of those old favorites will stick around too.
“We obviously have to have some of the old Old Post favorites -- the Recession Special, the Drunken Goat Salad -- some of the things that were on that former menu. And then we are bringing in our new American pub menu as well," Old Post general manager Rob Evanger told MTN News.
Evanger and owner Kimberly Deshene hope to keep the old feel of the downtown establishment while upgrading some aspects -- and they even get to keep the Old Post name.
"In the 30-plus years that the American Legion ran this place as the Old Post, they never registered that name with the state so we were able to register it and that’s why we are able to call it the Old Post," Evanger explained. "We are happy to be able to reopen the Old Post and bring this iconic place back to life."
Bringing the Old Post back to life means incorporating live music again and using this space outback as a way to host larger events much like they did in the past with First Friday festivities.
Another favorite of the Old Post was their breakfast and Evanger says they are planning to bring that back as soon as their kitchen is firing on all cylinders.
