For historic Lewiston, Idaho, downtown has always been the heart of the city. Most often referred to as “Beautiful Downtown Lewiston”, the area harbors museums, art and culture hubs, local boutiques, and of course, restaurants. One of those restaurants has been nestled quietly in the middle of it all since 2000 and has become a locally loved establishment. Main Street Grill started as a small burger joint under the name ‘Who’s on First?’ and has since grown into a full-service restaurant with an extensive menu, cozy atmosphere, and a beautiful outdoor patio. Time comes with change, and like most businesses, Main Street Grill has undergone quite a few, including the quiet remodel they’ve been in since late January! After interviewing some of the people who have had a pivotal role in making this happen, it’s finally time to share the story with you.
Main Street Grill has had décor trends in its life span, but never a defined style. Now, in 2026, that long time dream is finally coming to life. With a ‘Bistro Grill’ environment in mind, drastic changes have been made to the restaurant. We talked to Frank Webster, VP of Happy Day’s Full Serve Restaurants, who gave us the inspiration behind the remodel. He shared that the main goal is “to celebrate the heritage of Downtown Lewiston.” The remodel allows guests to see the history of the area in a different light.Showcasing pictures of Lewiston’s Main Street throughout the 1900’s, paired with the updated atmosphere will fully allow guests to be immersed in the beautiful, rich history that surrounds us.
The Breier Building, which homes Main Street Grill, was built in 1923 by Claus Breier, who shared a similar goal to what Frank has now. At the time, Downtown Lewiston was the business center of the city. The Breier building was built as a headquarters for a department store chain and to home other businesses such as lawyers, doctors, and stores. Now, over a century later, Frank wants nothing more than to honor what we’ve lost, how we’ve grown, and to bring more life back into Main Street.
So, what exactly is changing? For starters, the two walls separating the dining area have been removed to open up the area, which includes easier accessibility to the mezzanine! On one side of the newly opened room is an addition of a stunning brick wall, complemented by large photos of Historic Downtown Lewiston on the opposite wall. Ambient lighting is being updated to improve the overall atmosphere, and, alongside some amazing new menu items, Main Street also has a salad bar now! These updates and more have already greatly improved the space and the experience employees and guests will have. Although, we understand that not all changes have been easy. Saying goodbye to our Veteran’s wall was one of the more difficult decisions to make. Frank initially added the wall in 2021 to honor our local Veterans, their families, and everything they sacrificed. The goal was to create a space for our loved ones to be honored and remembered, and for the community to truly be a part of the restaurant. We know it is hard to say goodbye to such a special tradition, but the remodel allows us to not only continue remembering that part of our past, but also the entirety of what Downtown Lewiston used to be.
General Manager, Kade Olsen, shared what it was like working through the remodel. While restaurants typically shut down for major remodels, Kade and her team were able to keep things running smoothly throughout the process. The experience did come with some expected challenges, like the uncertainty of change, partial dining room closures, and the noise. When lunch and dinner rushes were in full swing, the maintenance team would wrap it up and later continue their work into the late hours of the night. “It was a challenge, but I think it was handled the best way it could be, and we are so thankful for the team for working with us,” Kade stated. Our maintenance team currently consists of 7 people, and they’re responsible for not only the Main Street Grill remodel, but every remodel Happy Day has had! The current remodel was extremely overdue, and employees and regulars alike are excited to see it getting the love and attention it deserves. It has been a challenge to truly bring out the full potential of the environment, everything from design choices to tiny details that you wouldn’t typically notice.
One of the more unique aspects of this remodel is how heavily involved the employees were. Kade recalled that her assistant manager, London Elderidge, Kitchen Manager, Scott Gift, and herself were consistently included in the process. “I have to thank The Finches and Frank Webster for really making it cool to be a part of, and making it possible for us to help make decisions and play such a big part of the whole process.” Michelle Radamaker and her team at Clever Fox Architecture truly helped bring the vision to life as well. Kade recalls watching the artist, Deon, elevate the wainscoting on the walls, and being so fascinated with how much care and attention to detail she put into it. Main Street Grill hasn’t always had the most detail-oriented environment, but the amount of work everybody has put into every little detail to really make it feel complete truly shows, and we are beyond excited to see it fully completed.
Lewiston’s Main Street is now home to over 37 local businesses, and unfortunately, not all of them are able to stay there long. As time passes by, the once bustling street now has a hard time maintaining local businesses, largely due to parking concerns. Frank’s mission rings loudly through Main Street Grill’s remodel. “We believe in Downtown Lewiston.” Everyone at Happy Day is extremely grateful that this remodel was something we were able to do, being able to invest in our community in this way is truly a blessing. Downtown has changed drastically over the last century, but it is still here. The area is truly so beautiful and enriching, the hope is that by reinventing the restaurant and giving a better experience to our guests, along with honoring the history of our home, we’ll be able to help bring some much needed life back into Downtown.
As the doors continue to open to both familiar faces and new visitors, Main Street Grill is ready to carry its story forward. Honoring where we’ve been, while helping shape what’s next for Downtown Lewiston. So come and see us! We are expecting to celebrate our Grand Reopening on this date, with more information to come. Stay tuned, we are unbelievably thrilled to be sharing this new chapter with you.
This remodel was made possible by:
Project management:
Frank Webster, Bruce Finch, Tobe Finch, Paul Nardecchia
Architecture:
Michell Radamaker and her team at Clever Fox Architecture
Construction:
Happy Day Maintenance Team, Flerchinger Electric
Materials:
Wasankari Construction, Dynamic Designs
Special Thank Yous:
The Main Street Grill team for working tirelessly and keeping things running through this challenging time and to our customers for the love and continued support.
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