Montana Heritage Center Seeks Café Operator

Bids will soon open on a café to be housed in the Montana Heritage Center.

• April 29 2025

Helena, MT – The Montana Historical Society (MTHS) is proud to announce that bids will soon open on an exciting addition to the new Montana Heritage Center: a beautifully designed, modern café, set to be the first year-round restaurant within the Montana State Capitol Complex. Scheduled to open in November 2025, the Montana Heritage Center will feature state-of-the-art community spaces, including immersive and exciting exhibits, a reference library, event spaces, a retail gift shop, and a vibrant café designed to serve visitors, employees, and the public.

Later this week, MTHS will release a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting businesses to submit bids to operate the café located on-site at the Montana Heritage Center. This is a rare opportunity to establish a restaurant in a fully furnished, high-profile location at the heart of the Capitol Complex. With a built-in customer base of 4,000 employees and thousands of annual visitors, the café will provide breakfast, lunch, coffee, tea, and refreshment services to a growing audience.

In addition to serving state employees, the café will cater to the nearly 100,000 annual visitors expected at the Montana Heritage Center, including both local Montanans and tourists. A 2016 University of Montana study estimates that the Heritage Center will contribute $12.5 million to Montana’s economy each year, attracting an additional 78,000 visitors beyond MTHS’s existing annual traffic.

The Montana Heritage Center will create engaging spaces where visitors can connect, explore, and relax. Alongside the museum galleries and gift shop, the café will be a key gathering point for those visiting the Capitol, the Heritage Center, and the interpretive trail that encompasses the new building.

Interested vendors must be registered in the State of Montana’s procurement system, eMACS. Vendor registration is available at https://VendorPortal.mt.gov. The full MTHS Café Solicitation will be posted at https://bids.mt.gov.

For questions regarding the RFP, please contact:

Trenton Hatch

Procurement Officer

State of Montana, State Procurement Services Division

Phone: (406) 444-3315

Email: trenton.hatch@mt.gov

To learn more about the Montana Heritage Center, visit https://montanamuseum.org. To learn more about the Montana Historical Society, visit https://mths.mt.gov.

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