Grand Forks: Where Warm Welcomes Take Flight

I tell ya what…Chicago’s got deep dish pizza, New York’s got trendy rooftop bars, and we’ve got hospitality so warm it’ll melt the snow off your boots. Yep, this is the place where the steaks draw a crowd, the drones buzz, and the people apologize when YOU bump into them.

People flock to “GF” (local slang, doesn’t mean gluten free) to push the boundaries of aviation and unmanned technology, sure that’s true, but they stay because someone handed them a smoked old fashioned and said, “Oops, I ordered an extra. Sit down and join me for one”. Next thing you know, they’re secretly house-hunting on the Zillow app before dessert even hits the table.

If Tony Stark married an aviation farmer’s daughter from North Dakota, their honeymoon suite would look exactly like  The Olive Ann Hotel. Named after aviation legend Olive Ann Beech, this place draws more eyes than a new John Deere in July. The ceilings are a statement of their own and the lobby smells like money and maple syrup. From the moment you approach the entrance, you immediately feel like a VIP. Before you can reach for the door yourself, an entire fleet of mustached bellhops in dapper wool coats race to beat you to it, making the grand entrance to the hotel lobby that much more exciting.

But it’s not all just robes and slippers. Inside these hotel walls, business deals move at hypersonic speeds. A handshake at the Olive Ann doesn’t just mean hello, many times it means the start of something BIG. You’ll find drone engineers in polos, coffee fueled NASA affiliates, the Air Force’s finest in uniforms and jumpsuits, and local farmers in Carhartt’s all intersecting in perfect harmony for business and life. All while pretending they’re not checking each other’s name badges in the spirit of being polite. Smiles on the way into the lobby, and smiles on the way out, that’s what makes it so special.

Rooms feel like first class without the crying baby, and the staff is so friendly they’ll have you convinced you are family by breakfast. The good side of the family, not the ones who argue about who took the last lefse.

Don’t forget to head upstairs to Skies, the lux bar perched atop The Olive Ann. It’s the kind of place that makes you forget you’re in North Dakota, until someone walks in wearing Sorel boots with their 3-piece suit.

The view stretches for miles, which is handy if you’re trying to spot your test flight at Grand Sky. You’ve got the signature cocktails, dim lights, and that one corner where every startup founder sits pretending not to watch their investor’s reaction to their pitch.

It’s smooth, it’s sophisticated, and yet somehow it still feels like your cousin’s living room. If your cousin had a bartender named Rusty who makes a mean martini.

Right next to the Empire Arts Theatre, you’ve got Harry’s Steakhouse. The fanciest place in town that still makes you feel like you belong there in a snowmobile suit. Soon as you walk in, Sinatra plays from the record player, and the staff look at you like, “Now that’s a table-for-a-rockstar kinda guy.” You could order water here and somehow, it’d taste like confidence. The menu? Flawless. Read it upside down, spin it around, order blindfolded. I dare you. It doesn’t matter, every plate’s a winner. Each steak hits the table with the swagger of Teddy Roosevelt. Bold, fearless, and just a little bit showy North Dakota. You’ll see everyone here: UND professors, drone pilots, Air Force brass, and that one guy who keeps saying “BVLOS” (pronounced “BeeeeVeeeLoss”) in every sentence like it’s his middle name.

Deals get closed faster than you can zip up your jacket in January, and the old fashioned? It’s smoked so good they get delivered to your table in a glass box. And oh, the networking. We call it “accidental.” You bump into the same three drone execs every time, act surprised, and say things like, “Oh hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” for the fifth day in a row.

Now, The Toasted Frog. That’s where the magic happens after business hours. The fried pickles are basically local currency, and the drinks come faster than gossip at the grain elevator. You’ll find everyone here as well. Engineers, students, farmers, and that one FAA guy pretending he’s “off duty.” It’s where you come for “one drink” and leave at midnight with your glass half full. Conversation & community is the real menu. It’s loud, it’s lively, and if you sit at the bar long enough, someone will absolutely pitch you a startup idea that begins with, “Okay, so picture this…but with drones.”

By day, Grand Forks leads the nation in innovation, aviation, and acronyms. But by night? We’re just showing off. From The Olive Ann’s polished perfection to Harry’s Sinatra-smooth steaks, this town doesn’t just serve guests, it recruits believers. So come on up north, bring your appetite and your sense of humor. If your flight home gets canceled, no worries. Happens all the time. We’ll grab you a booth, pour a drink and make you feel right at home. Because here in Grand Forks, hospitality doesn’t just fly, it soars.