Montana’s BBQ & Bar — Restaurant in Ottawa

At What Cost Montana’s (Human or Profit)?

This review documents a deeply unsettling experience at Montana’s restaurant on June 23rd, 2025, where extreme indoor temperatures created hazardous working conditions for staff. Drawing on firsthand observations and Canadian occupational health regulations, this account highlights a systemic failure to protect employees from heat-related harm—raising serious ethical and legal concerns, and exposing the enduring presence of corporate greed and fear-based management.

Our visit to Montana’s began with a troubling sign: the host who greeted us was visibly and emotionally distressed. Her flushed face, slowed demeanor, and strained voice were not the result of a busy shift, but of an oppressive indoor climate. Her blonde hair was tied up and off her neck—a small but telling gesture of someone trying to cope with unbearable heat. She looked ill, pale, and on the verge of fainting.

While we stood at the host stand, we overheard a conversation that added a chilling layer to the situation. A gentleman was speaking to a man in a red shirt seated at the bar. In a hushed but clear tone, he revealed that head office had made the decision to stay open despite the extreme heat. This snippet of valuable, unforeseen information confirmed what we were witnessing: this was not an accident or an oversight—it was a deliberate choice.

Shortly after, our host—still visibly struggling—assisted us to our table. We were seated next to a friend who later joined us and filled in the rest of the picture: kitchen temperatures had reached 36°C, and staff were fainting from heat exhaustion. These are not isolated incidents of discomfort; they are symptoms of a workplace in crisis.

As we settled in, we began to notice a pattern: every staff member with long hair had it tied up and off their necks. It was a quiet, visual chorus of discomfort—an unspoken signal that the heat was not just inconvenient, but unbearable. These were not fashion choices; they were survival adaptations. Despite the conditions, the wait staff, bar staff, and kitchen team did the best they could under the circumstances. Their professionalism and resilience were evident, but it was clear they were being pushed beyond reasonable limits. As guests, we found ourselves more concerned for the employees’ physical well-being than head office appeared to be. In solidarity, some of us made conscious decisions to order food that would not require the use of deep fryers, hoping to reduce the burden on the overheated kitchen.

If a kitchen worker is experiencing dizziness or nausea due to a 36°C environment with no cooling measures, they are within their rights to stop working and report the hazard. The law protects them from being forced back to work until the issue is resolved. Protection from Reprisal:

Most importantly, employers are legally prohibited from disciplining, firing, or otherwise penalizing a worker for exercising this right. Any form of retaliation is a violation of the OHSA and may result in legal consequences for the employer.

A Decision Rooted in Greed The decision made by Montana’s management on June 23rd, 2025, was not just poor judgment—it was an act of dire greed. It placed profit above people, and in doing so, endangered the health of every employee on shift. This experience confirmed what many fear: corporate greed and fear-mongering are still alive.

Situations like this are how businesses fall apart or earn a bad reputation. Myself, as well as my guests left not with satisfaction, but with concern, frustration, and a deep sense of injustice. No employee should be subjected to such conditions, and no customer should be asked...

Super slow, unprofessional, and fake service and below average and cold food. You park behind the location just to see your server and cook smoke and walk around the building to the roadside because the owner forgot to put the entry door from the parking lot. Ordered bloody Ceasar got it served with the straw 🤦‍♂️ Ok, figured these guys are clueless about why there's celery salt on a rim, but when I decided to drink from the jar, cut my lip because the jar was chipped underneath that spice mix coating. Appetizer-Antojitos was not fluffy, soft, or fresh. It was probably microwaved, sad looking with a lot of empty room in a skillet that was cold. Somebody tell the cook that he can put it on the stove or in the salamander to heat it up like it's done in a restaurant. My burger patty was fine, but the bun was dry while the fries were really good. My wife's ribs were stone cold. Not lukewarm but fridge cold. Classic lazy cook. What a shame. The server was fake as it got. Answered "AWESOME!!" yo every answer we gave her regardless of whether is positive or negative. We just sat and she ask us what we wanted to drink. OK, I understand you want to push for drinks but it's 11.30AM, chill the F down. Understand the time, the customers, maybe they are driving, maybe they don't drink, it's not Friday night, relax, think. After we asked for a few minutes to look at the menu she was gone for 15-20min. After we ordered drinks she just turned around and left without taking the food order, leaving us to wait hungry for another 10-15 min until somebody made drinks. I guess, having pen and paper is too embarrassing for her. We waited forever for our food and 1min after we got it, the table that walked in half hour after us got their food. Great time management. At the end, the server disappeared, probably went to smoke again, we had to ask a hostess for a bill on which she said that the server will bring it to us before going back to the FD to chat with other 3 girls 🤦‍♂️ No kidding, for real!! She has a brain to do her nails and makeup but I guess she needs to be told to go and get the server for customers instead of talking to her girlfriends about the night before. All in all, this place is disgusting, intellectually and literally. People smoke at the back, nobody wash hands, chipped glassware, ignorant service, you've had better. We visited from Montreal the other location a few months ago, much more civilized. This one was close to our itinerary and we made a mistake stopping by thinking all the Montana's are the same. First world country, third...

It was...alright. I remember coming here years ago and loved it but just came here the other day and I had to question if my memory was bad or if I was just excited to be in the city at that time I initially first went.

First off the food is very expensive for the amount you get. Even the starter, which was a decent price, the chips are so overloaded compared to the spinach dip. When the waiter came by to take it away almost half the chips were still on the plate with no dip left. Seriously the portion sizes here need to be looked at. Secondly, the food just tasted okay. It wasn't astounding, even the new meal which I got (Brisket burger) it just tasted mid. I thought the spices would be nice but it was so overwhelmed with bbq sauce that you could hardly even taste the meat. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, I will say that but the "crispy cajun onions" first of all weren't crispy and secondly had almost no taste to them at all. Not to mention used very sparingly, unlike the menu image. I think I only had like 4 small pieces on my burger. Thirdly, the lemonade I ordered I was excited for because it was only 2.99 but then when refill time came up the refills weren't free? I get some places do that, but it was just weird. Someone in the booth next to us ordered a soda and they brought him a can...which I assume also isn't free refills. I get not having refills for alcohol, but every other drink? Really? Especially when it's 3-4$ a drink?

Would I be going back: No Is it worth the price: No Would I recommend: No There are much better places around the area with actual decent menu prices & refills.

Plus I just want to add as a side note, the man who served us was trash talking his coworkers right beside us the entire time (we were sitting near the bar) and it just came off as extremely rude. Him calling some of the female staff "Dwarf." Not to mention some bar guests watching us the entire meal. Just an absolute horrible experience. I hope the female servers aren't treated that way everyday, I feel bad for them working in that kind of...