BILLINGS — People are beating the cold one bowl of soup at a time.
On cold days, Billings soup shops become a hot commodity for hungry residents looking to escape the frigid temperatures.
"It makes me not so cold,” said Londa Gause, a customer at the downtown Soup and Such, on Tuesday.
On days like Tuesday, with snow blanketing Billings, soup is on many people's minds.
"When it is cold, people really want to get that comfort food,” said Mike Craighill, co-owner of Soup and Such, on Tuesday. “We make them every day. Several times per day, depending on what kind of soup it is and how busy it is."
Soup and Such has two Billings locations, one at 1025 Shiloh Crossing Boulevard and the other at 2716 Third Ave. N.
Craighill, who co-owns Soup and Such with his wife Antonia, said a bowl of soup can transport you back in time.
"Reminds them of growing up," said Craighill. "The chili their grandma made or the clam chowder that they used to have when it was cold on days like this."
After 18 years in business, the Craighills know what their customers are wanting. They also own Velvet Cravings, a cupcake and wedding bakery downtown.
"It is funny because each one of our soups kind of has a special place in our heart because we have a customer that’s their favorite soup. Londa’s favorite soup was the chicken noodle and the clam chowder," Craighill said. “There’s a fair amount of people that eat soup every day. I would consider myself one as well. But the salad bar definitely has a draw. We do fresh cut veggies and fruit and cheese and meats and pasta salad."
Gause, a regular, stops in often.
"About once every two weeks,” Gause said. “Come and try all of it. All of it’s really good."
She enjoys the salad bar and variety of fresh-made soups.
"Everything. I love it," said Gause. "And I don’t have to make lunch that way."
Over at Entree Soup, a drive-thru spot located at 3 Grand Ave., customers are constantly placing orders.
"Definitely the cheeseburger, the goulash, and the tortellini this week,” said Calvin Nelson, Entree Soup's manager, on Tuesday. "Right now we got our special this week, which is the cheeseburger soup...It’s more of like a cream-base. It is crazy ridiculous."
Nelson said his mom, who owns the drive-thru, makes soup fresh every day at an off-site kitchen and puts her heart into every batch.
"Most of our food is soul food," Nelson said. "We’re one of the only places in town that still does that, really."
Meaning customers seek them out to find comfort in the cold.
"You can come in, try some different kinds of soup. Try all seven (soups), we love when you try all seven," Craighill said. "There’s always something for any type of weather that we are serving up."
To learn more about Soup and Such, click here.
To learn more about Entree Soup, click here.
