Late food after a Missoula show
A show can end after many kitchens close. If you plan your food before you go out, you will not finish the night hungry. This guide shows you how to plan food before the show, at the show, and after it.
Know when the show ends
Most show listings give a start time, not an end time. A night with an opener and a headliner can run long. Plan as if your show ends late. If it ends early, that is a bonus.
Also think about the trip home. If you ride a shuttle or share a car, the group leaves together. Agree on the food stop before the show starts, so the group does not have to decide late at night.
Use the food truck schedule
The food trucks page on MissoulaTonight lists where each truck parks, day by day. Each stop shows the place and the hours. The page is part of the same refresh as the show listings, twice a day, around 5 am and 4 pm Mountain time.
To find a late meal:
Open the page after the 4 pm refresh on the day of your show.
Read the closing time of each evening stop, not only the start time.
Pick a stop that stays open past the time your show lets out.
Pick a second stop as a backup, in case the first one sells out or packs up early.
Trucks often park at breweries, taphouses, and bars. So a food stop can also be a place to sit down and talk about the show.
Eat before the show: Draught Works
Draught Works is a brewery at 915 Toole Ave. Food trucks park there in the evening, and the brewery posts the rotation on its own food truck schedule page. Music bingo and trivia fill some weeknights, and there is no cover.
A brewery dinner before doors is a simple plan. You eat at a set time, and you do not have to look for food when the show lets out. Check the brewery's page on the day, because the truck can change with the day of the week.
Eat at the show
The Top Hat has a full kitchen. Its hours are on tophatlounge.com. Check them on the day, before you count on a meal after a late set.
At KettleHouse Amphitheater, the concessions sell food and KettleHouse beer, and select bars sell mixed drinks and wine. All food and drink sales are cashless, so bring a card. You cannot bring in outside food or drinks.
If you ride the Groove Shuttle to the amphitheater, your round trip ends back at the Top Hat lot, 134 W Front St. Before you leave, look for a late stop near downtown, so food is close when the shuttle gets back.
A late-food checklist
Plan as if the show ends late.
Eat before doors when you can.
After 4 pm, check the food truck schedule for stops that stay open late.
Note one backup stop.
Bring a card. Some venues sell food and drink by card only.
The calendar, the venue pages, and the food truck schedule work best together. Look at all three on the afternoon of your show.