Montana diners chill outside in dining domes

All winter, diners at The Iron Griz: American Bistro, a restaurant connected with the University of Montana, could eat outside in a clear dome and watch cross country skiers gliding across what is, in milder seasons, the University of Montana Golf Course. On clear winter days, they may have even seen a paraglider sail down from Mount Sentinel or Mount Jumbo.

“It’s like a reverse aquarium,” says Trail Bundy, marketing and communications manager for

University of Montana campus dining, “like you're inside the tank watching the world of beauty outside.”

The domes were in such high demand across the country just after the start of the pandemic that it took time for their order to go through. But the restaurant—which sits just a mile south of campus—acquired first one dining dome then another.

Currently, the domes the University of Montana purchased cost between $1,300 and $1,500 apiece. Each is constructed of PVC pipes and a plastic cover and have a single zippered entrance. Each dome fits one table that can seat up to six and is heated with a small space heater that is situated away from the plastic edges of the dome.

The idea behind their purchase was to allow diners at The Iron Griz more flexibility by creating a safe, comfortable dining option during the pandemic, even when it’s really cold outside. Daytime Missoula temperatures average between 20° and 30° F.

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Dome diners at The Iron Griz can opt to keep the table in place or ask to have it removed if they simply want to enjoy a round or two of drinks.

The restaurant requires a $25 deposit to reserve the dome for two hours. Most guests opt to keep the table in place, but they can ask to have it removed if they simply want to enjoy a round or two of drinks. The domes have a dedicated server. There’s a 25-minute window between each dome reservation to allow staff time to clean and prepare the dome for the next guests. 

Other than watching outdoor activities, Bundy says families enjoyed their dining experiences in the domes; adults stayed inside while kids ran out to play in the snow. Guests are also encouraged to come and go, moving between their dome and the covered, heated patio.

Dome diners have access to the full menu, which is built on a garden-to-table concept. This winter, the menu featured Southern-style cuisine with entrees such as étouffée, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and a Captain’s Platter loaded with shrimp, crawfish, and seasoned fries. They also have a selection of soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers.

During the harvest, chef Jesse Mayer sources some ingredients straight from a half-acre garden just outside the restaurant’s doors. Between two campus gardens, the university grows 3,000 pounds of produce each year. The restaurant sources other ingredients, especially proteins, regionally—for both the restaurant and campus dining.

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“We take great pride in our sustainability purchasing,” Bundy says. “The University of Montana campus dining is a huge supporter of ranchers and farmers across the state. And because we have so much purchasing power, we can really help those in our community. It's unique having a restaurant be a part of a university, simply because of the flexibility and diversity of options that we can provide.”

The restaurant is staffed with professionals but also with students, who learn the hospitality trade as they work. The university provides free bus rides to the restaurant from campus every 15 minutes. Even though students can’t use their regular dining plan at the restaurant, they can apply supplemental flex dollars toward restaurant meals. Some students dine at the restaurant—especially for date nights—but it’s more often frequented by community members, faculty and staff. 

Dome diners have access to the full menu, which is built on a seasonal, garden-to-table concept.

Within the community, cross-country skiers and golfers are frequent patrons. In the winter, the university focused promotions on cross country ski clubs, inviting skiers to come in for a mid-day warm-up, as they would a ski lodge.

They also promote the restaurant to the wider community through an ongoing news segment hosted by a local meteorologist. In March, the segments will be located inside a dome, to try and help people “understand what the experience is like” and, hopefully, make a reservation themselves.

The university hopes this kind of media will give the domes a boost next winter, when they plan to set them up again. For now, the Iron Griz is closed for the season due to staffing shortages in the hospitality industry that are affecting all of Missoula. In order to serve students, they brought all available staff members in to run the dining services on campus. The restaurant’s grand re-opening is scheduled for March 29.