MISSOULA — The Mustard Seed was founded right here in Missoula in 1978 and has been a staple to the community ever since, so its grand opening is a much anticipated one.
“The first reason we wanted to build here in Missoula is this is our home," said Mustard Seed vice president Chris Siemens. "We started in Missoula, we want to make sure Missoula always has the best store we can give it.”
The Missoula-based Asian fusion restaurant’s new location is adjacent to Southgate Mall and its grand opening will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
The hope is that the Mustard Seed's new look will accommodate lasting memories while honoring the founders.
“Betty and Nancy Takamoto — the two sisters that came up with all the recipes and the vision of this — they've handed to us a legacy that we want to honor,” Siemens told MTN News.
The restaurant has new features, including an outdoor patio with views from the "Loyola L" to Lolo Peak. But this didn’t come easy as the COVID-19 pandemic threw the timeline of the project off.
“COVID landed in the middle of our, our entire development process," said Siemens. "So what should have been open over a year-and-a-half ago took us three years to design and get completed.”
The Mustard Seed had been in the Southgate Mall location for 32 years but despite remodels, the restaurant owners wanted a place of their own.
The construction was done by Dick Anderson Construction in Missoula, and the design by Uptic Studios out of Spokane — where there are a number of Mustard Seed restaurants.
“Well, it's important that we find people that grew up in these communities to make sure that we stay true to the community,” said Siemens when asked about the choice to have Northwest groups work on the project.
The new Mustard Seed location will be open daily from 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. and will feature both dine-in and carry-out food.
