Even though Main Street Grind won't be making sandwiches until Thursday, I stopped in today. They do have coffee and baked goods right now and let me say the Raspberry Scone was WONDERFUL. It was A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN. I can't wait to try their other baked goods. The building is cool and I am so happy that we have a place like this on Main Street. I will definetely be eating lunch there soon.

Happen to take a gander at the MilesCam computer while up there? It's in the balcony.

I usually hate scones, but I have to second that the raspberry scones are EXCELLENT!

Thank You Rick! Miles City needed something to happen after the devasting event last year. You started the ball rolling for others to rebuild and begin improving our downtown area. You also used several local contractors that helps keep our local economy striving.

Wish you the best of luck serving good coffee and great food!

Did I read in an article about them that they use honey to make their own break and baked goods? Does anyone know for sure? I'd love to stop in and try something but am allergic to honey.

I also heard that Main Street Grind is offering some gluten-free items. Does anyone know if this true? I have a good friend who has to be on a strict gluten-free diet and so we were looking forward to being able to enjoy treats that she could also have.

I'm so excited to have another option for a place to grab a quick bite for lunch downtown! Don't get me wrong, I love Mexico Lindo and have been known to visit the 600 or have a sandwich from Trails Inn from time to time. But if you're wanting a lighter, quick option, there really is none on this end of town.

Congrats to everyone behind Main Street Grind! This is a fine example of community spirit!

More pictures please! Maybe of the inside?

Are they selling bread yet? I think I'm more interested in that than the pastries.

The sandwiches and all that stuff are there tomorrow. :P

accually i had the cowgirls sandwich and it was AMAZING! i really like the place and the prices ain't bad.

I stopped in and checked out the place yesterday. It's very attractive inside. They didn't have any food while I was there and they were training a bunch of girls behind the counter. Despite what appeared to be a minor explosion during the making of my coffee, it was quite tasty . Looking forward to trying the food next time I'm in town. I think this will be a great addition to Main Street and I hope that they do well.

Their Iced Mochas are pretty good! Based on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), I give it a 9 (with Muds & Suds Iced Mocha being the 10)!

Congrats, Mr. Flotkoetter!

Best of luck on your new business venture.

I'm a bit torn in asking because I don't know if it'll come out right - or if the readers will take it the right way so, I tread lightly...

At one point, people were making strong comments against Main Street Grind coming in - like it might compete against the local, beloved Cafe Utza.

However, since MSG is essentially a local-family-done-well situation, plus rebuilding in a much-needed MC economy... is there enough love to spread around even while being competitive?

Sounds like I should have had a scone :-) I don't want to bash but here's the short of my experience so far. I went in on opening day and thought I'd keep it simple (you know, new place, employees, and the rest). I ordered a iced vanilla latte. Just a guess, but I think there was about 3-4 times the flavor you need in one of those things. I couldn't even drink it and ended up tossing it since I was already in my truck at that point. "No big deal" I thought. I'll get down there on Thursday and give em another shot. Loaded some things up, grabbed the dogs and the bike and off I went. Great day for a ride. Hmmm, there's sun and a beautiful deck..... where's the chairs and tables? Waited in a long line (nice, new, busy, expected) only to find they had nothing left to make a sandwich out of when I got to the front. Nice.... Common guys, we need you (that cool new place in town), and everyone wants to see someone building in the footprint of the fire that destroyed all that last year. Sounds like some of you have had a little better experience. Maybe they should have a two for one day or something to get those of us that were turned away back in there. I wanna come back but.....

The chairs and tables were not there because the company they bought them from screwed up and neglected to actually ship them.

Of course they were having problems on THEIR OPENING DAY!!! They are working out the bugs. Most businesses have a 'soft' opening to do that but because they were trying to hit the One Year Anniversary, they pushed it. They have no idea how much product to order or prepare yet because they have been open ONE DAY. Give them a break!

How about you wait two weeks, the usual break between a soft opening and an official opening and try again. In my many years on this planet, I have learned never judge a brand new business by the first two weeks. Give them time to get the hang of it, THEN judge. And if there is a problem, let them know. They can't tell they have an issue unless someone tells them.

As for Cafe Utza, they will probably see a drop for a few days but then their regulars will be back. Different atmosphere. Different foods. I see no worries for Cafe Utza in the long run.

Amorette, I want to personally apologize for posted on the wrong thread. If I would have looked a little closer I would have noticed that this was for those that had a wonderful experience at the MC Grind. Listen, nothing personal. That was my experience. From the look of it, I wasn't the only one. I really hope they square things away, like I'm sure they will. It's a great location, cool setup and that deck is going to be something else.
I'd be glad to give them a call or stop by, but I'm certain they noticed there were no chairs on the deck and that they had run out of sandwich fixings. As for the coffee, if you look back, I already gave them a "pass" on that.
Now that I know about the two week waiting period I'll be better prepared for the next grand opening in miles city. Looking forward to it.

Out of four attempts to buy a sandwich, I have walked away empty handed four times. their definition of a soft opening is different than mine. I will continue to make the attempt and give them the benefit of the doubt.

As for competition, there is an unhealthy attitude towards it in MC. Business breeds business. That's why restaurant rows are successful and what was known as miracle miles in the automobile industry. Instead of spacing out dealerships or restaurants, line them up. They will all benefit from the traffic they create.

Cafe Utza, will not lose my business. Not because I am loyal but because I love coffee. The fresher the better. Kafe Utza roasts green coffee beans, in house. They are ground and brewed as you order. For me, that's how it should be done. If one doesn't mind opening a can of Folgers or drinking from the stuff that comes off the truck then that's fine as well. I prefer my pastries buttery and full of empty calories. That's just me. On the rare occasion that I indulge in a treat, it will come from Utza. Not because I am loyal but because of the quality, service, atmosphere and that I experience in the establishment. I will Give Main Street Grind the same consideration.

Main Street Grind looks great and I really like the atmosphere. This town has been sorely in need of someplace that knows how to stack a sandwich. I am hoping for a real ruben, stacked high and served on some decent bread and a nice, half done, Kosher pickle. Come on MSG, make me happy. I can wax pretty poetic about a good sandwich. I am grateful for their efforts so far and look forward to sitting and enjoying a sandwich that won't leave me cold. I am hopeful.

I further hope that the excitement created by this new business will bring people to the historic downtown area and everyone will profit, customer and business alike. The heart of Miles City can use a Boost.

It is not "one or the other". Kafe Utza is my favorite Coffee shop that serves great pastries. I have hopes that the Main Street Grind will be my new favorite sandwich shop.

Yeah I haven't tried MSG's pastries but I will be surprised if they are as good as Utza's. The ones at Cafe Utza are really exceptional and I almost never say that about food I got in Miles City.

Ditto what Tucker and Levi posted. Utza coffee is better than anything I can get in Helena. Pastries...well, we do have the Park Avenue bakery here....I'll call it a tie.

I haven't had a good sandwich in Miles City since the days of Big Als.

One of the sandwiches will be the Big Al's--a vegetarian version--because one of the employees used to run Big Al's.

I can't get over how upset people were because the place was having problems on opening day! I guess no one has ever gone to a restaurant or any business on opening day but they are always frantic and practically non-functional because there are always surprises once the doors open.

Cafe Utza ran out of pastries on its opening day! Does that mean no one should ever patronize Cafe Utza because they had a tough opening day?

For the record, it was not open for regular business on Tuesday or Wednesday. Today, Thursday, was their first day, so if you tried to get food on those other days, they weren't actually open for sandwiches yet. They had the ribbon cutting on Tuesday for the anniversary.

If, in a month or so, the place sucks, then feel free to announced the suckage to all and sundry but give them a chance! I bet they'll be in better shape tomorrow and the day after and by next week, will be up and running just fine.

I was soooo hoping for doughnuts! All the ones in town now suck! I miss a good doughnut! Somethings Cali is good for! Ethnic food and Krispy Kreame!

I'm not sure that too many of us are spending a lot of time being upset. A little annoyed at the time I guess. That passed within the hour (once I was back home with some food in the microwave). Like I said, I'm sure they will getr' going in no time. Sure, we'll all give it another shot. Where else are we gunna go :-) Hope they get it ironed out. I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Well, put it this way. Walmart has been here for years, and they STILL have the same problems they did when they opened. But, we still are patient with them. So, I'm sure if we cannot get a sandwich the first week we will all live and make one at home.

We were glad to see that Main Street Grind was very busy today at lunch time. My daughter, my grandson and I stopped there for a sandwich and there was a long line. By the looks of the people in line, many of them were trying to get something to eat and then back to work. Neither one of us had to work today so we were not in any hurry. We got out of line and took my grandson to Discovery Pond and the new Children's section of the library and returned the MSG about an hour later. When we returned we joined the line that was waiting to be served and let me tell you it was worth the wait. The sandwiches were very good, the price was right and the multi-grain bread was exceptional. A lady in front of us bought a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven...yum-yum and some razzelberry muffins that looked very good as well. Just remember if you do have to wait in line it will be worth the wait!!!! Thank you to the owners of Main Street Grind for choosing to build in downtown Miles City.

Loved the chocolate scone, as did my daughter (actually would say she more than loved it!). Definitely want to try the jalapeno, egg and cheddar roll. Looked delicious! Thanks Main Street Grind for your efforts and believing in downtown Miles City. We will be back many more times!

Just got my first chance to stop in this Saturday morning. It's a great looking place. I picked up a loaf of bread -- curious about the bakery. Very nice. Good consistency and flavor. I love fresh bread and can definitely see making regular trips. I'm also looking forward to making many sandwich runs this summer.

The Grind is a great addition to Main Street. I just am amazed at how fast it came together once the building got started.

The Grind does use honey in their bread, in response to a previous post. My co workers and I had "cowgirls" sandwiches, and they were wonderful!

My co workers and I had "cowgirls" sandwiches, and they were wonderful!

So, if you eat these sandwiches in the opposite manner than normal, does that make them.... no, never mind. Forget I said anything.

Mooooo Bridgier..... very moooooooooooo.

what are the hours of operation?

We ate there Saturday, and I was nothing but thrilled. I had the half sandwich (cowgirl on ciabatta) and soup (Thai curry - heavenly!) and it was all terrific. Oh, and so was the free ginormous piece of snickerdoodle I got to snack on while in line! The prices are great and the atmosphere is nice. The only thing I'd love to see them add is REAL bagels. I would seriously eat there every day. . Sigh...

I believe the hours are something AM to 7PM.

Real bagels are like donuts; they require speciality equipment to make. They probably need to pay off that fancy bread oven before they consider any expansion. And I believe they open at 6:30 a.m. for the before work crowd.

I ate one of there sandwiches there yesterday and i must say i am very impressed. I'm so glad they decided to go with a build your own option, I'm very picky. The sandwich was quite filling and very tasty there bread was great and does seem to be home made, the girls behind the counter were very friendly and fun. I did have an iced mocha witch was not for me i prefer less coffee taste but overall a great experience i hope they keep it up.

I had a mocha there and I agree that they are not as sugary as most mochas and you taste the coffee more. I actually thought it was a good thing though.

I tried the "grizzly" sandwich yesterday and I was pretty happy with it. It wasn't huge but I didn't leave hungry. There was probably 4 slices of pretty thick pastrami on it and the ciabatta roll was very nice. One thing I didn't see that I had been kind of hoping for was a loaf of crunchy French bread or baguette. I think making bread with a crunchy crust might take a special oven with steam injection and I don't know if they have this capability but you can't get a decent loaf of French bread in MC anywhere IMO.

Truckload of large but light boxes being unloaded there this morning. I keep wanting to pan the camera down for a better view.
Maybe the awaited furniture?

Dan Mowry wrote:

At one point, people were making strong comments against Main Street Grind coming in - like it might compete against the local, beloved Cafe Utza.

Dan, the story I heard was that Kafe Utza is more expensive for your morning coffee and pastry but worth the added expense.

And Main Street Grind's advantage is that it is so much more than coffee and pastries.

I'd say the two businesses coexist nicely.

Ken, I am sure the Pan Tilt Zoom portion of the camera could be achieved, but the cost would be ridiculous. If I recall correctly, Dean told me it was somewhere around 1000 dollars for just the usit itself.

Also, I actually tried to look into the grind to see if the new chairs and stuff had arrived, but my inside webcam is showing this...



Looks like someone has been messing with the camera...

Maybe there will be a MCCam MarkII sometime that is user controlled. The one on the Terry website seems to be less than 'operational'. The one at the Montana Standard in Butte is a good example. Meanwhile we are all enjoying what we have.
Ken

I have now eaten there twice. For the time being, I recommend dinner, because it is still a bit confused at lunch.

Their ordering "system" needs a great deal of work. Maybe "take a number" or having some way of announcing whose order is done would help, as would a way to track tickets so you notice when one is lost. Mine was. After half an hour and numerous people after me were served, I pointed out that my order hadn't shown up and they said, "We lost it" and promptly made it (very quickly) but it does point out a rather large flaw.

Still, growing pains are part of any new business. They have chairs and I assume the rest of the tables will arrive soon! Sandwiches are tasty and give us an alternative for eating so more power to them!