Competition is a spicy sauce that can kick-start plans to remodel.

Montana Brewing Co. owner and general manager Sean Graves said that was the reason for the recent upgrade at the downtown restaurant at 113 N. Broadway.

"Basically, we totally gutted the place in 2½ weeks. We had a really good crew of people and really good organizational plan," he said.

The Brew Pub, as it is generally called, opened Dec. 4, 1994, and was the state's first business that brewed and served beer on site since that industry died off in the 1970s.

"Part of our plan was to really step up our game and stay the best," Graves said.

The brown paper covering the windows came down Wednesday afternoon. At 4 p.m., the restaurant officially re-opened.

Work included replacing the flooring, the tables, new bathroom decor and swapping the wood-fired oven for a brick-covered gas oven, even though wood-fired ovens produce tasty flatbreads.

"It's more dangerous to use in an old downtown building," Graves said.

The wood bar was replaced with a concrete bar and wall art includes nearly a dozen giant black-and-white photos depicting Billings in the 1920s to the 1950s.