Husband and wife, Rob Hagler and Sonja Burgard originally started out in the restaurant business in 2003 in Bozeman. Friends asked if they wanted to invest in a “noodle” idea— The Naked Noodle idea— and they agreed. After backing the business and designing the space, they were able to step away and let their friends run the restaurant. It sold in 2009.
Sonja, a native of the Flathead Valley (she graduated from Flathead High School) and Rob, who was raised in Georgia, met during college and have been married for 12 years. With the Bozeman restaurant experience in their pocket, they were on the lookout for an ideal location for another business. Their current location on Baker, just before the viaduct, caught Sonja’s eye early on. She even made a call about it before a move that took them to Kansas City for two years.
When they returned, Sonja was still interested in the location and made the call when it became available.The timing worked out and the second Naked Noodle was born. This time, they would be doing it on their own.
Rob is a civil engineer and is currently working on the Whitefish River cleanup project. Sonja has had a successful career as a photographer. Her work has been in magazines and catalogs and now serves as decor in their restaurant.
Sonja will tell you that her favorite part of owning a restaurant is “serving food people love.” They offer Asian, Greek, Italian and American noodle dishes as well as salads. The concept is to take a naked noodle and dress it up how you like.
All the sauces are made from scratch. A few of the favorites are their Authentic Thai Green Curry and Pad Thai dishes.
Based on your order, the sauce and ingredients are sauteed by chef Joe.
They come out hot and delicious. But, the dish isn’t finished there.
Customers then have the option to choose from a variety of toppings at their toppings bar, ranging from black beans, fresh tomatoes, edamame, cheeses, onion and many more.
This is a comfortable, informal, family friendly restaurant. In fact, every Sunday kids eat free (limit 2 with 2 adult meals) and a basket of toys is tucked in a corner for their young customers.
The Naked Noodle will be hosting a fundraiser on April 5th where a portion of their proceeds go to The Spay and Neuter Task Force and hope to give back to the community by hosting similar events on Tuesday nights in the Spring and Fall.
The best part about The Naked Noodle is that it’s quick service, but not fast food. Customers have the option of coming in for a quick meal, ordering ahead by dialing 862-Naked or picking up food at their drive up window. And if you need food delivered to an office meeting or party, they have a catering menu too. Check out The Naked Noodle’s website and Facebook Page for more information.