Montana Mike's in Minot, ND

C8 3-18 Food.qxp:6-ColumnTemplate 4/9/15 11:02 AM Page 1 www.MinotDailyNews.com FOOD&HOME • Lifestyles: Jill Hambek 857-1938 Wednesday, March 18, 2015 C8 or 1-800-735-3229; e-mail [email protected] Montana Mike’s isn’t from Montana HINTS By JOHN BECHTEL FROM HELOISE Freelance writer [email protected] As a matter of fact, there isn’t one single franchise unit of Montana Mike’s in the state of Montana. A query There’s only one in all of North Dakota, here in Minot, at 3816 S. Broadway, in front of Walmart. A worth creation of a group called the Stockade Companies, which began with a single restaurant in its salt Oklahoma City in 1966, 80 restaurants are now in operation in nine Dear Heloise: I would states and Mexico out of Round like to know the DIF- Rock, Texas. Twenty-eight of these FERENCES in table salt, restaurants are Montana Mike’s, kosher salt and sea salt. with plans on the books for two Also, how would you more this year — but not in North use each one? — Jo G. Dakota. in Nebraska Along with the name, the You would think salt Montana Mike’s-franchised restau- is salt! However, there is rants carry a mountain lodge theme a slight difference in the and decor. I suppose they are processing. Sodium designed to appeal to the rugged chloride is the chemical individualist hiding out in all of us, name for all. but troops of Girl Scouts have been Table salt is the one known to dine there. Montana most of us use daily. It Mike’s is a steakhouse. It also serves has some calcium sili- chicken, ribs, chicken-fried steak cate added to keep it and the usual assortment of salads, from clumping; this salt sides and appetizers. Restaurants ¨ Montana can be used in all cook- cut their meat onsite, and they cut Mike’s Mile ing and baking recipes. and process their vegetables fresh High Kosher salt has no daily. They make their dinner rolls preservatives. This salt from scratch, including making their Ribeye is a favorite of many own dough. They hand bread their Steak. chefs because of its tex- own onion rings: These don’t come ture. Use a pinch or two, out of a frozen box. They have a full and sprinkle it over the bar. No live bands or Muzak, so it’s a food you are making. good place to have a conversation Sea salt is evaporated without having to shout over the from seawater, so it gets “entertainment.” pretty close to Mother Nature. I have a small You can access their entire menu ¬ online. The last time I dined there, I Montana grinder with “pink” sea ordered the Strawberry Salad with Mike’s salt that we use, but Chicken ($12.99) with a grilled Strawberry honestly, I can’t taste chicken breast, fresh strawberries, Salad with any difference. Oh, yes, candied pecans, craisins, bleu Chicken. it’s pricey! — Heloise cheese crumbles, red onion, chow mein noodles on crisp romaine, with Stoneware a light raspberry vinaigrette dress- ing. For an entree, try the Mile High Dear Heloise: Ribeye Steak, 14 oz., presented Regarding your reply to exactly as I ordered it, medium rare, the reader in Kerrville, and worth the $23.99. Service was Texas, about removing good, friendly and unobtrusive. My grease from the bottom choice of words about the service is of a pizza stone: Several Photos by Carolyn years ago, we discovered intentional: There is a fine and Ferguson/Special important line between friendly and to MDN that placing the stone in a self-cleaning oven and overdoing it. Too little and the cus- individuals, always show respect for owned by people who have had the salad, your steak is now past it’s then running the clean- tomer may think the server is them, put fun into the work when- benefit of years of working in corpo- prime and no longer even warm. Or, ing cycle left the stone unfriendly or aloof; or at the other ever possible, lead by example and rate stores before getting into busi- in this Sophie’s choice, you can eat in nearly new condition. extreme are servers launching into acknowledge achievement — in ness for themselves. There are a your steak first, and then move on to Not a spot of grease. — an extensive monologue, especially front of their peers whenever possi- number of these in Minot. They your by-now soggy and wilted salad Kenneth F. in Texas about negative aspects of their life ble. Take ordinary things and make take the benefits of what they have that has lost its crispness and chill. Kenneth, you were and not knowing when to shut up. them memorable. learned with them. I presented this dilemma to one of many readers They have a job to do, but creating a Bernie says there is always some The advantages of a franchise Bernie and asked him if there is a who wrote in about friendly and welcoming atmosphere drama among the staff; the manager restaurant are undeniable. They solution. Because no matter what placing the pizza stone is a part of that job. An experienced needs to be patient, ask questions have a lower failure rate, and locally you say to a server, anywhere, any in a self-cleaning oven server has refined the social skills of and not rush to judgment. For exam- we have seen a slow but steady restaurant, you are probably going to and running the “clean” exercising restraint and exiting a ple, he says cooks will often get parade of restaurants that have qui- get both your salad and steak at the cycle, with great results. conversation graciously. When you upset when food is sent back to the etly closed up and gone away, same time, or worse, they will bring However, the stone consider the fact that most of these kitchen. The best cooks are those including in just the last six months. your salad out, and keep your steak can break when doing servers in our local restaurants are who have had prior experience as Apparently serving good food is not under a heat lamp. I confessed that I this, so this is not rec- teenagers, it is amazing how well servers. Then they understand what enough for survival or success. have resorted to ordering my salad ommended by the man- many of them do at this. the server has to deal with. He says There are others that manage to stay first, without indicating what entree ufacturers. You are tak- whenever he dines out, if the service open, but at the price of exhausting I will be pairing it with. When I am ing a chance cleaning it was good but the food was bad, he the owners and staff, and depriving almost finished with my salad, I The challenges of this way, but many of tips the server anyway. (It’s rarely them of vacations and time away then order my steak and there is no my readers say they staffing in Minot the servers fault.) from responsibility to rejuvenate overlap between the two courses. have done this without a Servers have what is called “side that the rest of us take for granted. Bernie says this can be difficult with This restaurant employs about problem. — Heloise 40. Benjamin (Benji) Thomas, the work,” chores that need to be done Corporate operations focus on sys- some IT systems, because the entree 33-year-old general manager, said during slack periods, to get ready for tems, set ways to do things, and and the salad are put in as a unit. Let the local labor market is stable. The rush periods or for the next shift or almost zero tolerance for deviation me know if you have found a solu- Garbage day the next day — things like refilling key to success with the staff is, first from those formulas and systems. tion of your own to this dilemma. I Dear Heloise: I know the salt and pepper shakers. Some of all, selection. When potential They usually are quick to take don’t like feeling rushed through a you have written the are diligent about doing this; others servers or kitchen staff walk in the advantage of information technolo- meal or that a computer is calculat- hint about keeping less so. Generally, servers are rotated door, they bring their cultural values gy, and they benefit from software ing at precisely what time my party smelly food scraps in among the sections of the dining and attitudes with them. If they have that provides them with valuable should be vacating our table. the freezer until garbage room. If a server who is routinely a work ethic, they are keepers, and information and management tools It seems to me most hardened day so they don’t stink diligent about completing her side the rest of the story is treating them not even dreamed of 20 years ago. veterans of the restaurant business up the house. I would work is assigned to a new section with respect and solid training. They manage by the numbers, and appreciate what you gain with cor- like to add my hint that Benji, who has been working in and she notices that none of the side everything gets measured. porate training; greater accountabili- work was done by one of her peers when possible, I plan restaurants since he was 14 years For example, in most of such ty, ways to pinpoint problems and meals with shrimp (that old, said his rule of thumb is your the day or shift before, there’s going restaurants, a server is expected to progress and maximizing profitabili- to be conflict, because the diligent will have shells to be employees work for you (the manag- take a lunch order from a customer, ty.

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