By Whitney Barnes
Staff Writer
“America’s Best Restaurants” is an online and social media series that comprehensively reviews dining establishments across the United States. The show features hosts Theo Williams, Danyel Detomo, Luis Rivera and J. Russell, as they travel across the country, sampling diverse cuisines from small, family-owned restaurants. The series aims to empower independent restaurant owners by allowing them to share their unique stories and connect consumers with the best dining experiences on a weekly basis.
On a recent roadshow excursion, the team made a stop at Montague’s, a popular restaurant located just off the town square in Marshall. The restaurant boasts a relaxing atmosphere and delicious food, making it a go-to spot for locals and visitors alike. Montague’s Owner Lori Godsey said the online TV show spent approximately 3-4 hours filming and taking photos at the restaurant on Thursday, March 23.
“When they called me, they said, ‘We’ve been stalking you for like the last three months,’” Godsey said, laughing. “They said they had actually been looking at another place that was within 20 miles of here or so, but they said every time they went to look at that stuff, our stuff continued to pop up, and so it intrigued them a whole lot. …They gave me a call and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested?’”
She enthusiastically embraced the idea, recognizing that the show could draw new patrons to her restaurant and generate interest in other businesses in the Marshall area. According to the show’s statistics, each episode of “America’s Best Restaurant” typically receives over 20,000 views, resulting in an average of 1,000 new customers for the featured restaurants.
“People watch and then go to these destinations,” she said. “I’m excited about that, because that brings people to Marshall. So, hopefully, they’re not only spending money here, but they’re going to the Jim Garden, or they’re going to Nicholas-Beazley, or they’re shopping around town. So, I’m really excited for our town.”
The day of filming was filled with anticipation as the team arrived and set up their equipment. Before diving into the main event, Godsey said they conducted a preliminary interview, setting the stage for the day’s agenda and finalizing the menu for the show.
At Montague’s, you can indulge in a diverse selection of sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers, perfectly paired with flavored teas, craft beers and homemade desserts. Godsey showcased her culinary expertise during the cooking segment of the show as she prepared her renowned Montague Cristo and other fan favorites.
“I was able to cook like three or four other things that they also used for the show,” she explained. “I did the Montague Cristo, the Squealing Pig, the tenderloin, … a fresh strawberry pie, and then the last one was my Italian nachos. Then there was kind of a little bit of a break, and then they did a lot of photoshoots and filming of the food that we had done.”
While at the restaurant, Danyel Detomo, one of the show’s hosts, conducted a live Facebook broadcast to let viewers know they were in the area and provide a preview of the restaurant. Godsey said the day concluded with the interview segment, which they filmed in the dining area.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” she said. “But it’s been fun. They were so great to work with and everything, so like I said, I’m just excited for our town. My tourism side says this is good for Marshall in general.”
To ensure you don’t miss the show, follow America’s Best Restaurants and Montague’s Facebook pages. They will provide the latest information about when the episode will air.
“They will air this on my social media and theirs,” she explained. “They are planning on about mid-July to end (of) July for production time. And so, before that happens, they’ll put a post out that says it’s coming, and I think maybe one more, saying that it’s today or tomorrow. They do a lot of lead-ups to it.”
Montague’s is located at 152 W. Arrow Street and officially opened its doors in April 2021. Godsey shared that while she had previously worked in the restaurant business, her passion for cooking really blossomed during her time working at the Marshall Pool concession stand, where locals showed a keen interest in her culinary creations.
“I worked at Mazzio’s, I worked at Subway, and then when I went to work at the park, I had the concession stand,” she explained. “While we were at the concession stand, my mom was working for me … and she came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I think we need to do tenderloins.’ … So, we started pounding out tenderloins, and we were selling them at the pool, but then people were coming up to the outside window of the concession stand, ordering tenderloins. From there, I ended up over at the golf house.”
At The Golf House, Godsey had access to an underutilized, fully equipped kitchen. She suggested to her boss that they begin providing meals to the golfers. When word got out that they were serving food, they found themselves catering to a much larger crowd, extending beyond just the golfers. Since the establishment was only open four days a week in the summer, Godsey had the opportunity to pursue other interests during her free time.
“From there, I ended up catering for the Owners of the Henry Blosser House,” she said. “And within the next week, they called me and said everything was great and asked if I would be interested in managing the B & B facility.”
Godsey left her job of 16 years and accepted the new position. However, her time in this new role was short-lived, as one of the owners fell ill five months into her tenure, and the establishment was never officially opened. It was then she decided that she was never going to work for someone else again. “The only person that’s ever going to tell me no again is myself,” she declared. This pivotal moment sparked the birth of Montague’s. Shortly after, she started searching for a building to turn her dream into a reality.
“(The man) who owned the building we’re in said, ‘You wouldn’t be interested in my building, would you?’ So, we came and looked at it,” she said in closing. “We put a business plan together, a rough sketch of what we wanted in here, and the rest is history. Long story short, that’s how I got here.”
