Cafe Dining in Glacier, Montana

Love a Good Cafe
​
This past September Don and I spent a couple nights enjoying some rustic lodges in Glacier National Park. 

Those 100 year old lodge dining rooms can be iconic, but I love a cute cafe.  I'll always remember two that we enjoyed.  One was near where we entered the park and the other where we exited. ​​

​The Park Cafe
​
This cottage like diner has been sitting here since 1952.  We stopped for a light lunch before entering the park.

Evidently the same family still owns the cafe, but the very young staff seemed a little clueless. I didn't push for cafe history.
​
​What's Important?
​
Obviously the pie is important, since the menu shows an oozing slice of blueberry pie with words beneath...THE POWER OF PIE!"  

But Don and I were just eager for a light lunch and a glimpse of this cute little place.

Sharing Food
​
​Sharing food is what the penny pinchers and old people do.  I guess Don and I are both.  When you're on a 1-month road trip, it gets costly eating out all the time.  

We also get tired of eating.  I never thought I would hear myself say, "I'm not that hungry. Wanna share a plate?"  That seems like what old people say.  And now we're old. But the cheeseburger and fries were pretty good.  Pie?  Another day.

Atmosphere
​
​I love a place that dares to not change.  The diner chairs, counter and stools are all original.  

I love the red and I love seeing through to the kitchen. And I loved seeing the firefighters or policemen seated at the counter.  Wait those guys rode in on motorcycles and they are not in uniform.  But the look was right.

Bathroom
​
​I decided not to take a photo of the bathroom, but it is worth mentioning. Guests in need of a restroom must take a little hike down a pathway to a shed, with plywood doors that lock with metal hooks.

 

 The soap dispenser was resting on the floor.  I should have saved the restroom for the gas station.

​West Glacier Restaurant
​
This trim little restaurant with flowers and flag was where we stopped for breakfast after leaving the park, two days later.

It was built in 1938 near the park entrance. The place closed during WWII, and was bought by the Lundgren Family in 1946. They owned it until last year. 

Updates
​
​We walked through a good sized gift shop into the main dining room.  There's nothing too special about it.

It was last renovated in the 1970's and the old ice cream counter and pie cooler gave hints of the past. But really it was a chat with Karen that was the most memorable.

​Pancakes and Chatting
​
Karen noticed me taking photos of Don's huckleberry pancakes and fried ham and that started up a conversation.  The woman of about 60 had been working at the restaurant for 14 years. She said she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be staying.

She said she used to work as the cashier and customers came to her at the counter with their checks.  "Things have been changing.  Now the servers act as their own cashiers.  I ring up an occasional item at the gift shop and I just wander around and kind of oversee things."   That sounded like a good thing, but she didn't like all the changes since the business was bought by the big organization that runs the National Park Lodges.  

"They're going to rip up the carpet and put down tile.  They're going to move the ice cream counter to the front.  And they'll probably be lowering my wage." She admitted. But then she smiled and admitted a good thing.  "But guess what?  I lost 14 pounds since I'm not just standing behind the counter all day."  

Change
​
Both places have resisted change for a long time.  I'm glad I got to enjoy a burger and some pancakes before much more renovations or even closings.

 Change often is a good thing, but I can easily relate to Karen and her woes.  Can't we just leave things as they are?