"It’s always got to be a little extra,” said co-owner Ben Burda. And that's his signature really: beautiful yet funky. Tres Bonne, aptly named with a nod to The Bon Marche that sat across the street for a long time, is a stunning sight to behold. The name is French but the food is American, and their big game is brunch.
Ben took note of what was happening in Missoula. “There are very few places—love Paul’s Pancake Parlor and love Ruby’s—but there were very few places to get breakfast.” If you don’t want to cook for yourself before the hour of noon, you’re probably going to get grab-n-go from the Good Food Store or you’re going to end up at a fast food place." And he's right—the options are limited, especially for those who love to dine out a few times a week.
"There’s a brunch scene in New York City...in Austin, Texas...in San Diego, there’s a little brunch scene in LA. There’s pretty much no other brunch in the country, which is crazy, where it’s actually a thing—a scene," said Ben. Creating a brunch experience was the exciting challenge.
The South Higgins location used to house El Cazador and the space didn't offer a lot of natural light. "It's dreadful and dreary six months of the year—it should feel like summertime every day," said Ben. "It should feel happy and fun and funky and it should give you positivity for your week," said Ben.
Anyone could see Ben blush when he admitted to Pinterest being the main source of inspiration for the bright and whimsical space. "I truly hate to include that that’s where a lot of the inspiration came from because it’s not romantic at all," said Ben. "We found this place...called Morning Glory. It is irreverent in every way, it’s extra in every way." Taken aback by the ridiculous nature of that restaurant, Ben knew that Tres Bonne needed to be bold but also its own animal entirely. And the menu needed to find its way as well.
"There’s what you theorize the menu to be, and what you theorize the concept to be and the execution of that, and then there’s what it’s actually going to be," said Ben. "And this is because we do not live in a city with vast culinary talent and 5 million people that you can make yourself what you are without any feedback from your guests—it doesn’t work that way here. If you aren’t preparing food for Missoula, then you will have no one to eat at your restaurant."
Ben listened to Missoula and delivered. The menu concept has evolved, undergoing an overhaul this past spring. "Now we know what we are. Our staff is amazing. We're really lucky and they're really good people," said Ben. "We just want to give the guests something that they actually want to show up for, maybe more than once a week."
"It should feel happy and fun and funky and it should give you positivity for your week," Ben Burda