GREAT FALLS — Tony Roma's restaurant is returning to Great Falls. The new location will be in the Holiday Inn hotel at 1100 5th Street South.
The building now occupied by Cattlemen's Cut in the Marketplace was the original home of Tony Roma's in Great Falls more than 15 years ago. The franchise features ribs, steaks, burgers, and more.
The Holiday Inn will also soon have an additional 10,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, which will be added to the existing 7,000+ square feet of meeting space in the hotel.
“This additional 10,000 will make them the largest hotel-affiliated convention space in the Golden Triangle, which opens us up to hosting more of those state association meetings that benefits everybody,” explained Jolene Schalper from the Great Falls Development Authority. “When people come to town, they won’t just stay there, they stay elsewhere and attend the conferences, so we’re pretty excited by that.”
The GFDA is partnering with the Montana Board of Investments to supply two COVID-19 relief capital loans to the hospitality industry in Great Falls. Those two loans will go toward both of these projects and replaces their current working capital.
Schalper says the loans will allow them to continue moving forward with their ongoing and future projects. “We’re pretty excited because this project should add 30 to 40 new jobs for that market, which is fantastic,” she said. “These are jobs that will be replaced from other hits that we’ve taken in the service industry.”
According to a 2020 study by the Pew Research Center, service sector jobs, such as those in the restaurant, hotel, and retail trade industries, were at the highest risk of being cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schalper was not yet sure of the opening date for Tony Roma’s, but confirmed that it should be in 2021. She also said that she believes construction on the convention space will begin this year.
