ROBERTS — Those who have stopped at The Chuckwagon know the sandwiches are unbeatable, and the fresh-baked goods are worth the detour.
The Roberts deli and grocery store always has a packed parking lot. It opened its doors at 8159 U.S. Highway 212 in 2020 and has since made a name for itself selling Amish goods.
“We do breads, cookies, pies, cinnamon rolls, and then we do some specialty bars and stuff like that,” said Edward Hertzler, the owner of The Chuckwagon, on Wednesday. “We try to carry things you can’t find just any place."
Simply put, The Chuckwagon is a fan favorite.
“We’re having the special today, the deli sandwich, and it’s very good,” said Michael Klaudt, a customer from Laurel, on Wednesday. "The Whoopie Pies are great. But yeah, the deli sandwiches are hard to beat."
Unbeatable, and the reason for repeat customers.
"My wife and I probably (visit) three times a year if not more,” Klaudt said. “You need to come visit, it’s a great place."
The Chuckwagon has a unique twist, thanks to its Amish roots.
“I have all Amish girls working here,” Hertzler, an Amish man himself, said. “We moved here in February of ’20."
In 2019, Carbon County saw a large number of Amish families move to the area. Hertzler said church leadership considered the price of land and whether locals would welcome newcomers and decided Roberts would be the perfect spot to relocate. Montana has an estimated Amish population of 1,185.
The Hertzlers came from Michigan, but Amish communities can be found across the United States.
"We are originally from Pennsylvania, and we were talking about Amish stores and whatever," said Wendall Mosemann, the father of the Mosemann family, on Wednesday. "He wanted some Scrapple and some Lebanon Bologna. So that’s sort of why we stopped, and then we were kind of hungry, so we got the sandwiches."
The Mosemann family was traveling through Montana when they caught wind of The Chuckwagon, and knew they had to make a stop to see what the store had to offer.
“We got the special of the day. To make it easier, when we go out, we normally get a lot of the same,” Wendall, the father of eight, said. "We have a large family, so a lot of times we’re stocking up on bulk food."
But the Mosemanns aren’t the only out-of-state visitors the store has served.
“We’ve had people from all over. We’ve had people here from Alaska, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas. Quite a few of the eastern states. We had a couple here from Nova Scotia,” Hertzler said. “I love interacting with the public."
No matter where you’re visiting from, The Chuckwagon is excited to welcome you.
To learn more about The Chuckwagon, click here.
