Arvada barbecue enthusiasts will soon have a local outpost of a Denver favorite to frequent, as Post Oak Barbecue is opening an Olde Town location at the corner of Yukon Street and Grandview Avenue. 

The property at 7611 Grandview Ave. has been occupied in a temporary capacity by Burd’s Nest Art Gallery since last year. Burd’s Nest has been leasing the space from the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, which purchased the building to keep it activated until a permanent tennant could be found. Now, it seems like that tennant has emerged. 

Post Oak began when owner Nick Prince took a trip down to Texas and was hooked by the state’s barbecue style. Upon return, he bought a smoker and eventually opened the Tennyson Street location of Post Oak in 2019. 

Since then, Post Oak has won numerous accolades including winning top honors at the barbecue competition at Arvada on Tap in 2018 and being named “Best Barbecue Restaurant” by Westword in 2024. 

Prince said that Post Oak is still in the planning stages and will need to submit a proposal to the Olde Town Design Review Advisory Committee before anything can move forward. 

Nevertheless, he said, his goal is to have the restaurant open by Labor Day. Prince talked through the plans for the restaurant, which will have a fairly unorthodox setup, assuming that it gets approved by the Design Review Advisory Committee. 

“Aside from where customers enter and order and exit and two restrooms, the entire building will be completely back of house,” Prince said. “There’s no seats inside or anything. What we’re going to do is put a rather large metal canopy outside to cover our dining area. I think our plans are drawn up for anywhere from 80 to 90 seats under this canopy. 

“And it’s going to be important for me to make an extremely nice, welcoming environment, even in like February, when the wind is blowing out there,” Prince continued. “I still, I know it’s very doable to do with nice, roll down sides and a properly heated dining space. It will really feel like you’re just inside. And we’re going to have a bar installed outside.” 

Prince added that the patio will have fire pits, cornhole and the ability to host live music. He said that Olde Town felt like the perfect place to expand Post Oak’s footprint too because it has a similar feel to Tennyson Street. 

“I love hanging out in Olde Town for the same reasons. I love hanging out on Tennyson Street,” Prince said. “It’s more of a town square type deal, than just an entire retail street like Tennyson. But it has, it has similar notes to, park and get out and walk and go to multiple places while you’re down there. It’s very family friendly which is what we’re all about.
“I think we fit in really well with the other types of restaurants and businesses that are down there because there’s nothing like us out there,” Prince continued. 

Prince also said that there will be certain things specific to the Arvada location, like smoked turkey legs that allow mobile eating, that tie into Olde Town’s many community events. 

Prince said he could not yet detail all of the differences between the Tennyson and the Arvada locations, but noted that the different configuration of the kitchen in Arvada will “allow us to do different things than the way our Tennyson kitchen is set up.”

Post Oak isn’t the only barbecue spot coming to the Olde Town area, as national chain Mission BBQ recently announced they were moving into the old Ruby Tuesday’s located at 5525 Wadsworth Bypass. 

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The readers of the Arvada Press have answered the question on everyone’s mind over the last few years — ”What’s the best taco shop in Olde Town?” Cochino Taco earned first place honors in our Olde Town Taco Showdown, defeating runner up Teocalli by 125 votes. 

The five brick-and-mortar shops in Olde Town went head to head, with voting conducted by readers over the course of the last month. Things started neck and neck, but the two front-runners began to pull away from the pack after a couple of weeks of voting. 

Overall, 1,248 people weighed in, with 585 casting their vote for Cochino, 460 for Teocalli, 98 for Lady Nomada, 58 for Wapos and 47 for Fuzzy’s. Cochino opened its Arvada location in 2021 and operates another restaurant in Englewood. 

Cochino owner Johnny Ballen said he was thrilled to see how the restaurant has remained resilient through challenges thrown at them, including the Ralston Road construction that concluded last year. 

(Did you have fun doing this? Then you should be participating in our annual Readers Survey, Best of the Best. Go show your love for your favorite spots here.)

“Cochino Taco loves Arvada, and now we know how much Arvada loves us,” Ballen said. “It feels amazing that we’ve endured especially after and during the long Ralston Road improvement construction — that was trying and and having Arvada really kind of embracing us is really, really neat.”

Ballen credited Cochino’s happy hour, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and all day on Sundays, for helping the taco shop earn a positive reputation within the community. He also credited the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere for helping forge a following within the community. 

“We create a sense of place and  we’re very neighborhood driven, and we’re family driven,” Ballen said. “We just want people to come in — whether they have kids or not — and just have a great time.”

Olde Town Business Improvement District Director Joe Hengstler said the wealth of taco options helps give Olde Town Arvada its unique identity. 

“We love all of our taco options in Olde Town,” Hengstler said. “Everyone kind of inhabits their own niche and brings their own flavor and style to the table, which is really cool to see. A giant congrats to Cochino on the win! They’re a great community partner, and we absolutely love having them as part of our business community.”

Thanks to all who voted and named Cochino Taco the winner of the “Olde Town Taco Showdown” for 2025!

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Olde Town Arvada is a taco lover’s paradise, boasting an impressive five taco shops packed into its charming streets. With so many options, the only real challenge is choosing where to go.

That’s where our Olde Town Taco Showdown comes in. We’re putting these five local favorites head-to-head to determine the ultimate taco champion. From classic street-style tacos to bold, creative flavors, each spot brings something special to the table. (We only included the brick-and-mortar shops, so we did not include Ruta Libre’s excellent food truck.)

Now, it’s up to you! Cast your votes for your favorite shop at the bottom of this article by 8 a.m. Friday, March 28. With this many options, there’s no wrong choice.

(Did you have fun doing this? Then you should be participating in our annual Readers Survey, Best of the Best. Go show your love for your favorite spots here.)

🌮🏆

Cochino Taco

7702 Ralston Road | 303-284-5194 | cochinotaco.com/arvada

Located just outside of Olde Town (but close enough for our purposes), Cochino has earned a reputation for their unique take on Mexican cuisine since opening its doors in 2021. Their elote is a fan favorite, and their vegetarian options — including their cojita cheese skirt taco — have earned them a spot in the hearts of many Olde Town regulars. 

🌮🏆

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

5760 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. | 303-438-9997 | fuzzystacoshop.com/locations
/colorado/arvada

Not much is guaranteed in life, but death, taxes and Fuzzy’s Olde Town Arvada location don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The oldest of the cadre of Olde Town taco shops, Fuzzy’s has been serving up solid baja-inspired cuisine since 2012 and recently rolled out a breakfast menu. Can any of the newbies take down ole reliable? Only you, dear reader, can decide. 

🌮🏆

Lady Nomada

7519 Grandview Ave. | 303-900-2980 | nomadakitchen.com

Opened in 2021 by the folks behind Homegrown Tap and Dough, Lady Nomada serves food inspired by Baja Californian cuisine and was envisioned as a laid-back offshoot of another one of the owner’s restaurants; Perdida. The restaurant has earned a reputation for its pastel decor as well as its flavorful ceviche and (dangerously) strong margaritas. 

🌮🏆

Teocalli Cocina 

5770 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. | 303-923-3170 | teocallicocina.com

For longtime Arvadans, following Griff’s Hamburgers is a tall order, but Teocalli has done just that since moving into the storied Olde Town A-frame in 2022. The restaurant’s carne asada tacos have earned top honors at Denver’s Top Tacos festival, and their patio always seems to be a hotspot for locals. 

🌮🏆

Wapos Cantina  

5777 Olde Wadsworth Blvd | 720-968-4634 | waposcantina.com

Since opening its doors in 2024, Wapos Cantina has made a name for itself with fresh, generous portions of authentic Mexican food. The Arvada location of Wapos is the fifth for the Colorado-based chain, which also operates restaurants in Boulder, Erie, Thornton and Westminster. 

Was there a place we missed? Tell us in the comments or email us at hello@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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José “Pepe” Garayoa has been driving his food truck around the Denver area for seven years. Given that it’s a larger truck and an older model, he said navigating traffic was challenging.

Now, though, he’s found the perfect permanent spot for the Ricas Tortas Calientes truck along South Golden Road.

“I’m very happy to be here in Golden,” he said. “What a great opportunity.”

The spot near Native Nursery, which is accessible via 17025 South Golden Road, may be familiar to locals as the former home of Bonfire Burritos and/or La Huacha.

Garayoa said his friend who runs La Huacha recently opened a brick-and-mortar location a few blocks away, leaving the food truck spot open. So, Garayoa moved Ricas Tortas Calientes there in December.

He said the spot is ideal, because “Golden knows someone is selling food here.”

Garayoa has been in the food industry for 30 years, working in both restaurants and his own food trucks.

He’s now bringing that experience and his own unique twist to the Ricas Tortas Calientes menu, which features tortas, burgers, tacos, quesadillas and specialty items.

While the winter has been slow, Garayoa expected things to pick up with the warmer weather. He’s preparing to expand his hours and start serving premade breakfast burritos in the summer.

Garayoa emphasized how Ricas Tortas Calientes is a family business. His wife and three daughters have helped him with various aspects of the business over the years.

Running his own business has always been his dream, Garayoa continued, saying, “You have to put yourself to work (to achieve your dream), and it’s easier when you have your family behind you.”

Ricas Tortas Calientes is currently open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, call 303-881-8376 or visit pepestortasandburgers.org.

Click through additional photos of Ricas Tortas Calientes:

Mobile sauna brings warmth, relaxation to local businesses and events

When she lived in Chicago, Rachel Swanson used to swim in the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, and the best way to warm up afterward was her friend’s mobile sauna.

While mobile saunas are more common in Nordic countries and the United States’ Upper Midwest, Swanson thought Colorado would benefit from the idea too. So, when she moved to the Denver area last year, she launched the Nomadic Fire Mobile Sauna.

What looks like a simple trailer on the outside is a warm, welcoming haven on the inside that can easily reach 190 degrees. Swanson and her family summarized the concept as: “Heat on wheels, relaxation that heals.”

Swanson has been taking the mobile sauna to community events and local businesses, including Golden’s Mountain Toad Brewing and Arvada’s Colorado Tap House.

People can book a 30-minute session in the sauna, which sits six people comfortably. Swanson also offers a cold plunge outside, so people can alternate.

Along with community events, Nomadic Fire is also available for private events, such as holiday parties or team-building events, or private rentals at people’s homes.

Swanson, who’s been a therapist for 15 years, emphasized the physical, mental and social benefits of saunas. She encouraged people to listen to their bodies and hydrate beforehand, saying, “It’s a place of gathering, not a competition.”

While saunas are great for athletic recovery, Swanson hoped everyone would try Nomadic Fire. People can bring their friends, play music and have fun while visiting a local brewery, she described.

A regular 30-minute session is $25 per person, but multi-packs and group rates are available.

Nomadic Fire is at Colorado Tap House every other Thursday evening, starting April 3, and at Mountain Toad every other Tuesday evening, starting April 8.

For more information, including pricing, schedule and private booking availability, visit nomadicfiremobilesauna.com.

Click through additional photos of Nomadic Fire Mobile Sauna:

Cheesecake Factory opening May 13 at Colorado Mills

Those who’ve walked around Colorado Mills lately may have seen the “Cheesecake Factory, coming soon” signs.

The restaurant recently announced a May 13 opening date for its new location at the Lakewood mall.

The new Cheesecake Factory will be at Entry No. 1, on the mall’s northwest corner. It will be accessible from both the mall’s exterior and interior.

The restaurant features more than 250 items on its menu, each freshly prepared from scratch at every location, including more than 30 “legendary cheesecakes,” the Cheesecake Factory described in a recent press release.

Additionally, the restaurant stated it will be hiring more than 300 employees for the Colorado Mills location. This includes bartenders, bussers, cashiers, baristas, line cooks, servers and more.

Anyone interested in applying should visit cakecareers.com/coloradomills.

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The band was playing Southern funk music. Green, yellow and purple décor was everywhere. Dozens of people decked out in beads and masks were on parade.

The general scene felt like part of Golden’s Washington Avenue had transformed into New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The Golden Civic Foundation hosted its inaugural Mountain Mardi Gras concert March 4 at the Buffalo Rose, with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit’s Community Impact Grant Program.

The concert was the culmination of a weeklong partnership between GCF and at least nine local restaurants and bars, which offered special Mardi Gras-inspired menus from Feb. 28 to March 4. Twenty percent of all proceeds benefited GCF.

As of March 5, Development Director Violina Mitovska estimated the entire Mountain Mardi Gras event raised at least $5,000 from both the restaurants’ special menus and the benefit concert.

In 2024, GCF awarded more than $110,000 in grants to 36 recipients, including local food banks, museums, schools and festivals.

Recipients described at the time how the grants were critical to support their teen internship programs, their special events and their work to help Goldenites in need, and more.

Organizers hoped this Mountain Mardi Gras would be the first of many, becoming a late winter tradition alongside the nonprofit’s other yearly fundraisers, the Summer Jam benefit concert and its fall gala.

GCF board members Pat Madison and Sarah Labosky said late February and early March tends to be a slower time in Golden, and thought a fundraiser centered on Mardi Gras would be a great way to generate business among local restaurants, raise funds for local causes, and bring people downtown on a weeknight in the winter.

Buffalo Rose owner Chris Cone felt likewise, estimating that the March 4 concert alone brought 127 people to the venue on a Tuesday night. Plus, the restaurant side’s special menu was well-received leading up to the concert, he said.

Because Golden hasn’t consistently celebrated Mardi Gras, Cone believed there was a pent-up demand for an event like Mountain Mardi Gras. Plus, both the weeklong special menus and the benefit concert were a great way to support local causes, he said.

So, Cone donated the venue and underwrote the cost of the entertainment, namely local Southern funk band Krewe de Groove, so GCF could retain all money from the ticket sales.

Locals Jim Geis and Beverly Walter were among the concertgoers, decked out in beads they brought back from a New Orleans jazz festival.

The two said they bought tickets because they love New Orleans and funk music, and wanted to support GCF. They also sampled the Buffalo Rose’s gumbo before the concert, saying it had a nice kick to it.

Madison and Labosky thanked Cone and his team, saying the benefit concert wouldn’t have been possible without the Buffalo Rose’s support. They also thanked their other restaurant partners for participating in the weeklong special menus, saying they hoped Mountain Mardi Gras would grow more each year.

Mark the calendar

Now with spring well on the way, the nonprofit is wrapping up its 2025 Community Impact Grants cycle. The application deadline was March 7, and recipients would be notified of their status in late April.

Additionally, GCF is in the process of hiring a new executive director, Madison and Labosky said. Applications were set to close at the end of March, with Madison saying that he’s already impressed with the quality of applicants the nonprofit has heard from thus far.

He and Labosky hoped to have a new executive director on board in April.

After that, they said, they recommended people mark their calendars for:

• Summer Jam, the annual family-friendly benefit concert, which will be June 25 at the Colorado Railroad Museum; and
• The annual fall gala fundraiser Oct. 18 at the Denver West Marriott.

Labosky thanked the entire Golden community for its continued support of GCF and its mission, saying Mountain Mardi Gras was a wonderful way to raise money for the grant program and celebrate Fat Tuesday with friends.

For more information, visit goldencivicfoundation.org.

Click through additional photos from the March 4 event:

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Goldenites can let the good times roll, as the Golden Civic Foundation and its partners are infusing downtown with New Orleans flavor leading up to Fat Tuesday.

GCF recently announced the details for its inaugural Mountain Mardi Gras fundraiser, a multi-day celebration that will support Golden businesses and raise funds for local causes.

From Feb. 28 to March 4, several Golden restaurants will offer special Mardi Gras-inspired food and drinks, with 20% of all proceeds benefiting GCF.

As of Feb. 18, participating restaurants included:

• Alchemy at 1111 Miners Alley;
• Babe’s Tea Room at 1027 Washington Ave.;
• Brick Room at 1112 Washington Ave.;
• The Buffalo Rose at 1119 Washington Ave.;
• The Golden Hotel at 800 11th St.;
• The Golden Mill at 1012 Ford St.;
• Miners Saloon at 1109 Miners Alley;
• Trailhead Taphouse at 811 12th St.; and
• Windy Saddle Café at 1110 Washington Ave.

GCF said others could still sign up to participate.

Then, on March 4, the nonprofit and its partners will cap off Mountain Mardi Gras with a benefit concert at the Buffalo Rose.

Krewe de Groove, Colorado’s premier Southern funk band, will perform from 7-10 p.m.

All proceeds will benefit GCF’s Community Grants Program, organization leaders have confirmed.

In 2024, GCF awarded more than $110,000 in grants to 36 recipients, including local food banks, museums, schools and festivals.

Recipients described at the time how the grants were critical to support their teen internship programs, their special events and their work to help Goldenites in need, and more.

GCF hopes to do the same with its 2025 grant cycle, Interim Executive Director Erin McLain said, and the new Mountain Mardi Gras event will go toward that effort.

“Mountain Mardi Gras is a celebration of community and collaboration,” McLain said in a recent press release. “With the support of our incredible local businesses and partners, we are excited to bring a unique and engaging experience to Golden while raising funds to support our mission.”

For more information about Mountain Mardi Gras, visit goldencivicfoundation.org.

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It might’ve been a festival dedicated to Ullr, the Norse god of winter, but it felt more like spring in Golden Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

Hundreds of Coloradans spent their weekend at the 11th annual UllrGrass in Parfet Park, enjoying the beer, bluegrass music and beautiful weather. It was the perfect opportunity for people to don their Viking-style helmets and bust out their drinking horns.

The event, which started in 2015, brings breweries and bluegrass bands together, typically on the last weekend of January. While temps were in the 50s and 60s this year, longtime festival goers can attest that previous events have lived up to the wintry namesake.

Since its inception, UllrGrass has been highlighted as a must-go wintertime festival and accumulated a passionate following. Some of this year’s attendees said they traveled several hours to Golden just for the festival, while others said they’ve gone every year — even when it was freezing outside.

Proceeds from the annual festival benefit the Coral Creek Kids Music Project’s educational programs and performances.

For more information, visit UllrGrass.com.

Click through additional photos from the Feb. 1 festivities:

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“I love ice cream, I’ve always loved ice cream — it’s the world’s most beloved food,” proclaimed Pete Castleberry, owner of Arvada’s newest ice cream shop, Power Cone.

Castleberry is something of an expert on the subject. While attending CU Boulder, he got a job working at Ben and Jerry’s — one he calls “the best job ever before this one” — and began dreaming of one day opening up his very own ice cream shop.

Noticing a death of soft serve options in the local area, Castleberry said he saw an opportunity to follow his dreams and carve out his own niche in the local market.

“I realized that there’s not a lot of soft serve options in the Denver Metro area,” Castleberry said. “You’re pretty much limited to chains. And I love soft serve ice cream. I love it anywhere I go… I wanted to provide a super high quality, ethically sourced soft serve ice cream, and do something and do something unique.”

With its locally sourced, homemade soft serve mix, Castleberry said Power Cone is already breaking from industry norms to do something special.

Power Cone began as a family-run food truck in January 2023 and moved into a storefront on 8295 Ralston Road — just over from City Hall, across from Wolff Park — in mid-January of this year.

While the shop will operate with its winter hours for the time being, a grand opening is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of May, around when the store will go to expanded hours for the summer. For now, Power Cone is open from 1 to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.

The shop specializes in three classic flavors — vanilla, chocolate and strawberry — along with a healthy dose of toppings including sprinkles, chocolate cream sandwiches (not Oreos, but not far off), crushed peanuts, hot fudge and caramel. For the more adventurous crowd, cones can be topped with ghost pepper salt or crushed up potato chips for an out-of-the box-flavor.

Castleberry said the spirit of soft serve is using toppings to create a wide variety of flavor profiles, rather than having a slew of flavors on tap. Soft serve spots are also limited by the number of machines they have — only one flavor can be made from a machine.

“The fun thing about soft serve is that you can make a soft serve cone and you can make it into a bunch of different things by rolling it in different toppings,” Castleberry said. “You can take a vanilla soft serve cone and roll it and crushed up chocolate cream cookies for kind of a cookies and cream experience… You can really do a lot with the toppings and making sundaes to create some different flavors and create some variety there.

“We will never be a shop that has 1,000 flavors,” Castleberry continued. “You know, my goal has always been to try to keep it simple but do what we do really well.”

For now, the Power Cone team is still family centric — Castleberry’s two young daughters help out in the shop when they’re not in school, and his wife has been a longtime contributor to the business — but is slowly expanding their team.

Castleberry said the move into a shop has been an adjustment, but one that’s very welcome for the Arvada resident, who added that it was important to him to open up the brick-and-mortar location in town.

“I’ve learned a lot during that time frame, and people seem to really enjoy the ice cream that I had been making,” Castleberry said of the time spent in the truck before moving into the storefront. “That gave me the opportunity to really fine tune my recipe and my ingredients and think about how to operationalize everything.

“And ultimately, I wanted a home base for my truck to operate out of, but also a place where people could come, even during the cold months,” Castleberry continued. “I live in Arvada, and I wanted to have a community place in Arvada that serves up some most excellent soft serve.”

The truck will still be operating for special events, starting up again in February.

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A survey of Morrison business owners and managers shows most have concerns about parking, with many saying paid parking has impacted their business. The Canyon Courier surveyed most of the town businesses in this article on Jan. 17, speaking to a few others in fall 2024.

“The winter business has declined tenfold because of the parking,” said Sherri Lind, co-owner of The Cow restaurant.

The Cow has its own small parking lot, free for customers, but customers easily overflow it and park on the street where a fee is required.  

“We rely on the locals and they’re not coming,” Lind said. “We tried to come up with a way to pay for parking, to validate, and there’s no way to do it.

“I get why they did it (added paid parking),” Lind added. “Cyclists would come, park, ride for six hours and take up the merchants’ parking. That’s what we were trying to avoid. But this is overkill.”

Three Morrison restauranteurs came to the town board’s Jan. 7 meeting, asking their elected leaders for help with parking.

Butch Luedtke, owner of the Morrison Inn, and Reza Ardehali, owner of Tony Rigatoni’s and the Rooftop Tavern, said paid parking is the issue, while Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth said lack of parking is the problem.

Other business owners had mixed opinions, though all had some thoughts on the issue.

At Tap on the Rocks, Shauna Dincola said poor and confusing signage leads to customers getting parking tickets. The restaurant owns half its parking lot but shares the other half with the Town of Morrison. So while parking is free on one side, it’s paid on the other. Signage in the lot doesn’t make that clear, she said, and paid parking signs on the nearby street are not noticeable.

“Even though we have signs about it everywhere, people blame us when they get tickets,” she said.  “The street needs to just have more signage. The signs they have are small. Make them so people can see them.”

Talai Franz, who owns Meadowsweet Gifts and Wellness, said paid parking is now a reality in many towns. It doesn’t upset her, but it does frustrate her customers.

“It’s affected my business mildly,” she said. “I hear from people all the time that they don’t come into Morrison because of the pay-for-parking. I don’t get it; it wouldn’t stop me. But I don’t let it stress me out. It’s not worth it to me.”

A shop owner who asked to remain anonymous said she lost elderly customers who couldn’t understand how to use the parking app. People can pay using a scanned code or at a kiosk. She said the paid parking is effective during the town’s busy summer weekends, but is a hit on business during the winter. 

Dave Cowden of Tom’s Upholstery is also frustrated. He said his customers have repeatedly gotten parking tickets while running in to pick up an item.

Susie Britt, who runs the souvenir shop attached to and co-owned by the Morrison Inn, said she loves Morrison and enjoys working in the town. But parking is the No. 1 issue for her business.

“The townspeople may not want to hear that, but they live in a town based on tourism,” she said. “People complain about parking all the time. I just feel like as a business, we’ve been asking for more parking. But it seems like the residents get more of a vote than the business owners.”

Tom Clapp, longtime owner of Sundance Sensations, believes a combination of issues has taken a toll on his bottom line.

“This is the worst winter for business we have ever had,” he said, adding it’s “because of the parking, speeding tickets, and lack of any care or promotion from the town. I like my quaint little town. We’re funky, fun and unique. But I’ve owned a business here for 25 years, and I have zero say in what goes on.”

While the speed camera was removed late last year, Clapp said it left a lasting, negative impression on those who were fined.

Next door, Heather Nielsen at La Boutique Des Boudreaux also cited parking as an issue. From her viewpoint, it’s the lack of parking more than the fact that people now have to pay for it.

“Everybody has to pay for parking anymore, but there’s no place to park,” she said. “And they (the town) do nothing to promote the businesses. When you look at Idaho Springs, Manitou Springs, they do a lot for their town. I feel very disappointed when I look at other small towns. There’s so much potential here.”

Morrison started its paid parking program in 2021 after hearing from downtown Morrison owners who said their customers can’t find places to park. The board said then it hoped paid parking would promote turnover that would in turn help local businesses.

Under Interstate Parking’s agreement with Morrison, the town gets 50% of the net revenue. The town also gets money from parking tickets, which are $50 each.

In 2024, Morrison took in just shy of $300,000 in parking revenue, including parking fees and parking tickets, according to town documents.

Also see:

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Triggered by an earlier meeting in which one Morrison trustee suggested decreased restaurant business could be solved by improving their food, the town’s business owners descended in force on Morrison’s Jan. 21 board meeting. They asked again for help with parking issues they say are hurting their bottom line, and one restaurateur called for action against Trustee Paul Sutton.

Sutton, who made the critical comment, is a University of Denver professor currently participating in an international Fulbright Scholar Program. He was not at this week’s meeting, but responded via email to Reza Ardehali’s board request.

“If Reza wants me removed from the board, he can initiate a recall petition that my constituents can vote on,” Sutton said. “I stand by my comments about the quality of food in some of the restaurants in Morrison. My comments are supported by independent measurements from Yelp and other social media and by the Town of Morrison survey of residents.”

Board members at the meeting said they heard the merchants’ concerns and agreed they’ll take action to address their parking concerns, which run the gamut from heavy ticketing and inadequate signage for paid parking to a lack of parking in high season.

“We started paid parking for the businesses because they wanted more turnover,” Trustee John Leonard said. “The whole idea was to support the businesses. But they’re saying it’s not working. If it’s hurting you guys, we should fix it.”

Mayor Chris Wolfe asked the owners at the meeting to survey the town’s entire business community and come back to the Feb. 4 meeting with their recommendations. Meanwhile, the town will review its contract with Interstate Parking, which manages the paid system.

“Businesses, come to us with your plan,” he said. “We’ll discuss it, and vote after that.”

The board’s plan forward followed sometimes emotional comments from several town merchants, most notably Tony Rigatoni’s and Rooftop Tavern owner Ardehali. He asked the board to remove or sanction Sutton, saying his comments at the Jan. 7 meeting violate his responsibilities as a town trustee.

Ardehali, Morrison Inn owner Butch Luedtke and Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth jointly pitched their parking concerns to the board Jan. 7. Sutton said parking was not to blame for their downturn in business.

“Make your restaurants destinations where the food’s good and people want to eat there,” he said, adding he’s had bad experiences eating at their establishments.

“Mr. Sutton’s abject disrespect for the town restaurants should not be tolerated,” Ardehali said. “His public comment sent the message (that) the food in this town sucks (which is) bulletin board material for every other restaurant in the region. Why eat in Morrison – even its town officials say the food there is terrible.”

Ardehali said Sutton has “fiduciary duties to the town,” and cited a board resolution that trustees should support, appreciate and respect the interests of the community.

“Listening to all viewpoints and facts with an open mind before deciding an issue is another duty in the resolution,” Ardehali said. “Yet during the hearing, Mr. Sutton remarked, ‘I’m done with this conversation. There’s lots of parking in town.’

“This is a member who took an oath to represent me and this community. He has to answer for that behavior,” Ardehali continued. “The town charter provides for removal of a Trustee for malfeasance. I hereby request the mayor investigate and consider sanctions against Mr. Sutton, including but not limited to his removal from the board.”

The board did not immediately respond to Ardehali’s request.

“I’m hurting, my business is hurting, all of us are,” said Barbara Boudreaux, owner of La Boutique Des Boudreaux. “The finances should show it. It’s parking right now. I hope we all can keep jobs.”

Krista Gaasvig, owner of the Hungry Goat restaurant, said she is a fan of paid parking but the system needs changes. She offered the board several potential solutions, including free parking during the slow months of January, February and March, a reduction in the hours in which paid parking is enforced, and better signage.

“Parking is an issue that needs to be addressed and soon,” she said. “I get told all the time, ‘I didn’t know it was paid.’ People get frustrated that they got a ticket, and they say I’ll never come back to Morrison again. Enhancing the signage would make sense.”

She also believes the town needs more parking.

“We are a seasonal town,” she said. “You build your water treatment facility for peak usage. We need parking for peak usage.”

Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth, who has repeatedly addressed the board about inadequate parking, spoke again Jan. 21.

“I’m not feeling the community,” he said. “I never really have. I’d like you guys to go out and have a retreat and see what you want to do to make community here.

“You got $37 grand from me last year in sales tax,” he continued.. “I want a refund. You’re not helping us. I don’t know why the town of Morrison makes it so tough for any of the businesses to get by.”

Several board members expressed their empathy for and desire to help the merchants, including Mayor Wolfe, who opened the meeting with a statement.

“We love our businesses, we love our residents and we really want everybody to know we’re working hard to represent and do the best we can,” he said. “We know there are hiccups every once in a while.

“My dad once told me for every problem, there’s a solution,” he continued. “That’s the attitude (of) our town manager and this board. We want to move forward, and make sure you know we appreciate you.” 

Morrison’s sales tax revenue dropped from about $2.4 million in 2023 to $1.9 million in 2024, according to town records. Some of that could be attributed to the mid-October closing of Café Prague, a popular downtown Czech food restaurant.

During that same time, the town took in almost $300,000 in parking revenue, including parking fees and tickets, according to town documents.

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