Montana Restaurant — Restaurant in Stephenville

First time eating here. I have been told this place used to be the best place in Stephenville before the town grew. We had the 14oz ribeye and chicken fried steak meal that came with two sides. Additionally, two beers and fried pickles for an appetizer. Fried pickles were large in size and decent. They come with a fairly good amount of a very thick and creamy Ranch dressing. I'd give these a 3 1/2☆. Ribeye was cooked well, but it was a bit chewy, and while I appreciate marbling, I am not overly crazy about a lot of fat. Some is great, but the first 4 bites were all fat. 🤢 Overall 3☆. I chose green beans and a loaded baked potato. Both meals come with Texas Toast that was stale and cold. The baked potato was very good, probably the best part of the meal. The canned green beans were bland and cold. My husband had the chicken fried steak with fries and cheesy broccoli and rice casserole. His fries were old and cold. With that said, our server was very good, attentive, and friendly and immediately replaced the fries and green beans. The replacements were hot and that's about it. Overall, I give the food a 3. The place is dark, dingy, and not overly clean or maintained. A man with a mid length beard and keys he enjoys fidgeting with is the manager, I assume. He definitely seems more interested in chatting with the staff (mostly college girls) than making certain food is fresh and the place is clean. I suppose low lighting prevents one from seeing just how dirty the place really is. I do know the booth we were seated at had enough crumbs to make a small rodent full for a day and straw wrappings in it. No, I am not suggesting they have small rodents. I have no clue. I could make a couple of quick suggestions.

1. Stop chatting up the college staff and get to work with a scrub brush and some cleaner.
2. Try checking the quality of food getting sent out from the kitchen.
3. Throw out the old, moldy (yes really) menus and provide updated ones that are clean. The bar menu needs updating as well. The first two beers we asked for are no longer carried. 🙄 Those few changes would improve things drastically. Until then, we...

Always so good and always a great place to stop and enjoy.

Not a lot I can add to the reviews already out there -- Yes, the cheese fries really are that good. Period. End of story.

The burgers are spot on tasty.

The nachos always hit the spot, and there are so many delicious ways to vary them up... they simply never get boring.

Simply close your eyes and let your finger fall where it may on the menu and order where it falls... you won't go wrong.

The service is normally great... but c'mon now... you know if it is truly insanely busy, there may be a bit of a lapse here and there. Put yourself in your server's shoes and think about it for just a sec... if your drink goes without a refill for a moment, and they're running around helping out the other tables that are all full with other needy self-centered people... it may be a minute or two... so enjoy that deliciousness that is in front of you and relax, your server will be with you in a moment.

There is a reason the locals go here. There is a reason those of us who grew up here and have moved away go here when we return...

I didn't really like any of it. It being my first time here I asked could I see menu. The hostess was nice at first but got real snotty and turned to me and family and asked were we staying or just leaving. Really?? I understand that it's not a fancy restaurant but I feel she could have been more presentable. Her hair was everywhere and looked like it hasn't been brushed in a while. And her whole attitude made me feel like she didn't wanna be there. Again just snotty. We get seated now the waitress that we had was very nice and presentable. Moments later the hostess sits people down behind us which is fine. My problem was that they lit up a cigarette!!?? Now I smoke so that isn't what bothered me. What bothered me was that we weren't asked did we want smoking or nonsmoking. What if I was allergic to cigarette smoke? Is this even a smoking restaurant? The food was ok but not great. Fries were soggy, meat was over cooked. The whole overall experience was not horrible but not good either. I won't be coming back due...