I really wanted to like The Long Shot because the space itself is impressive. The restaurant and…read moregolf simulator lounge are beautifully designed, immaculately clean, and clearly had a lot of money invested into them. The furniture, lighting, bar area, and overall aesthetic are genuinely attractive.
Unfortunately, almost everything else about the experience missed the mark.
We arrived around 5:30 PM on a Sunday evening and the restaurant was completely empty -- not a single customer in the dining area. Despite that, the greeting felt awkward and rushed. The bartender/server barely acknowledged us before immediately grabbing menus and directing us where to sit without introducing herself, asking if we'd been there before, or offering any kind of welcoming hospitality.
I asked if we could sit at one of the round tables with the large red chairs, and while she agreed, she honestly seemed irritated that we asked. Considering there were five of us and the place was empty, it was a strange first impression.
The menu itself is limited. It's mostly sandwiches, tacos, and appetizers -- no real entrées or substantial dinner options. The pricing is fair enough, but the food quality did not come close to matching the beautiful atmosphere.
I ordered what appeared to be their signature appetizer sampler: sliders, deviled eggs, bacon-wrapped dates with cheese, toast, sweet potato chips, and candied pecans. It arrived cold, disorganized, and badly overcooked. The sweet potato chips were literally black and burnt, and the pecans looked equally scorched. I'm still confused why the plate included three slices of dry toast with absolutely nothing to put on them -- no spread, no pâté, no topping of any kind. It felt random and unfinished.
Timing from the kitchen was even worse.
One chicken sandwich arrived roughly 12 minutes before anyone else received food. Then my appetizer came out -- again, cold and burnt. After that, the two people who ordered tacos waited another 15-20 minutes before their meals finally arrived.
Because we were trying to be polite and civilized, nobody wanted to eat before everyone had food, so we spent a large portion of the evening just sitting there staring at each other while some people had meals getting cold and others had nothing. In an empty restaurant, that's hard to understand.
The server did apologize multiple times for the delays, and honestly, the issues seemed more like an inexperienced kitchen struggling with execution than one bad employee. Still, nearly an hour into the meal, we still didn't even know our server's name.
The most disappointing part is that there really wasn't a single memorable food item. Beautiful facility aside, nothing we ate was good. Cold sliders, burnt chips, delayed meals, awkward service -- it just never came together.
We also toured the golf simulator area. The employee showing it to us was polite, but again there was very little engagement or eye contact. The simulator area was completely empty as well.
Ironically, the only busy section of the business was the casino area off to the side -- which says something considering almost every gas station casino in Montana draws a crowd on a Sunday night.
I genuinely hope they improve because the investment into the space is obvious and the concept has potential. But based on this visit, the execution simply wasn't there.
