Courier Gold Rush > News
Woodland Park restaurant owners get creative
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| Dennis Thornberry, aka Elvis, and his family, Carrie and Dean, enjoy pizza at Joe-Mama’s before performing on the sidewalks of Gold Hill Square South on Black Friday. Photo by Pat Hill. |
Pat Hill
As hard times hit Woodland Park, restaurant owners reach into their psychological and entrepreneurial reserves to keep the cash register clicking.
At Danny’s Corner Bistro in Gold Hill Square North, Danny Kubiak has re-jiggered his menu.
“We’re trying to make dining here more affordable,” Kubiak said. “Salad used to automatically come with the dinner; we’ve taken the salad out and deducted the price.
If the diner wants salad, the price is the same as it used to be.”
Kubiak also now opens the restaurant on Monday night and features several varieties of wine at half-price on the bottle. Thursday is Ladies Night, which is helping to improve the bottom line.
Despite the slowing economy, Kubiak plans to maintain the comprehensive menu, along with the reduced prices for dinner. “If you look in terms of restaurants, most of them fail within the first year; we’re managed a year and a half and haven’t had to borrow a penny,” he said.
Puzzled when he hears that some people aren’t aware that Danny’s Corner Bistro exists, Kubiak has stepped up his marketing plan, which includes an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 6, the same day as the holiday home tour and parade. “We’ll have complimentary wine and samples of our food,” he said.
At Jo Mama’s in Gold Hill Square South, Linda Robbins is working double shifts. Robbins, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Joe, recently laid off two more of her kitchen staff.
However, to date, this year is looking better than last year. “In November, December, January and February, we went from $32,000 a month to $10,000, almost closed down,” she said. “We’re actually doing a little better this year.”
A student in the school of hard knocks, Robbins reconfigured her menu, changed the theme of the place from a pizza joint to an Italian restaurant. “We went through a growing period; Joe and I had never worked in restaurants,” she said.
The learning curve included taking over the management position herself as well as bringing Mike Babcock back into the fold. Babcock, who is known for his pizzas, worked for the restaurant in the same location, the Pizza Factory.
Chief cook as well as manager, Robbins is attracting a clientele with her lasagna and spinach “mama-cotti,” each $11.99. “We get people coming up the Springs for this,” she said. To enhance the Italian cuisine, Jo-Mama’s features Peroni and Anchorstream beer.
With a 10 percent discount after 3 p.m. for seniors 60 and over, Robbins has attracted another segment of Teller County diners. “We’re seeing a good response to the discount,” she said.
At the Smokehouse, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, business is pretty normal, helped along by less-expensive gas. “I want to see people spend money, not just here, but at the supermarket, the other stores, because that helps everybody,” said Kevin Johannes who, with his wife, Cindy, owns the restaurant.
“I think it takes awhile for the bad economy to get here. I hope we can survive the downturn here,” he said.
As other lease their space, the couples owns the building. “My mortgage is just about gone,” Johannes said. “And we work this place ourselves; I’ve got five employees, three of them are family. I wish now I’d had five kids instead of stopping at two.”
At the Swiss Chalet, the nation’s financial crisis is hitting home. “It’s tough; we don’t have the bookings and when they are coming, they’re not spending as much money as they have in the past,” said Neil Levy who, with his wife, Paula, owns the restaurant.
“I think people will see more coupons at other restaurants for ‘buy-one-get-one free.’ I don’t know if I want to go that route quite yet.”
Like the others, Levy is cutting back on labor. “There are only a couple of things I can control — I’m just working more and cutting back on everybody else a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know any other way around it. For all of us up here, the next three or four months could be tough. It could be tough the whole year. I think next year’s going to worse than this year.”
While times are tough, Levy hasn’t raised prices. “Food costs have gone up but I’m putting the freeze on raising prices because, legitimately, I should have been doing that,” he said. “I’m just hoping that, with gas prices going down, things turn around.”
Levy has also enhanced his marketing plan, going out into the community talking up Christmas parties. “I’m giving deals I wouldn’t normally do,” he said.
As hard times hit Woodland Park, restaurant owners reach into their psychological and entrepreneurial reserves to keep the cash register clicking.
At Danny’s Corner Bistro in Gold Hill Square North, Danny Kubiak has re-jiggered his menu.
“We’re trying to make dining here more affordable,” Kubiak said. “Salad used to automatically come with the dinner; we’ve taken the salad out and deducted the price.
If the diner wants salad, the price is the same as it used to be.”
Kubiak also now opens the restaurant on Monday night and features several varieties of wine at half-price on the bottle. Thursday is Ladies Night, which is helping to improve the bottom line.
Despite the slowing economy, Kubiak plans to maintain the comprehensive menu, along with the reduced prices for dinner. “If you look in terms of restaurants, most of them fail within the first year; we’re managed a year and a half and haven’t had to borrow a penny,” he said.
Puzzled when he hears that some people aren’t aware that Danny’s Corner Bistro exists, Kubiak has stepped up his marketing plan, which includes an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 6, the same day as the holiday home tour and parade. “We’ll have complimentary wine and samples of our food,” he said.
At Jo Mama’s in Gold Hill Square South, Linda Robbins is working double shifts. Robbins, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Joe, recently laid off two more of her kitchen staff.
However, to date, this year is looking better than last year. “In November, December, January and February, we went from $32,000 a month to $10,000, almost closed down,” she said. “We’re actually doing a little better this year.”
A student in the school of hard knocks, Robbins reconfigured her menu, changed the theme of the place from a pizza joint to an Italian restaurant. “We went through a growing period; Joe and I had never worked in restaurants,” she said.
The learning curve included taking over the management position herself as well as bringing Mike Babcock back into the fold. Babcock, who is known for his pizzas, worked for the restaurant in the same location, the Pizza Factory.
Chief cook as well as manager, Robbins is attracting a clientele with her lasagna and spinach “mama-cotti,” each $11.99. “We get people coming up the Springs for this,” she said. To enhance the Italian cuisine, Jo-Mama’s features Peroni and Anchorstream beer.
With a 10 percent discount after 3 p.m. for seniors 60 and over, Robbins has attracted another segment of Teller County diners. “We’re seeing a good response to the discount,” she said.
At the Smokehouse, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, business is pretty normal, helped along by less-expensive gas. “I want to see people spend money, not just here, but at the supermarket, the other stores, because that helps everybody,” said Kevin Johannes who, with his wife, Cindy, owns the restaurant.
“I think it takes awhile for the bad economy to get here. I hope we can survive the downturn here,” he said.
As other lease their space, the couples owns the building. “My mortgage is just about gone,” Johannes said. “And we work this place ourselves; I’ve got five employees, three of them are family. I wish now I’d had five kids instead of stopping at two.”
At the Swiss Chalet, the nation’s financial crisis is hitting home. “It’s tough; we don’t have the bookings and when they are coming, they’re not spending as much money as they have in the past,” said Neil Levy who, with his wife, Paula, owns the restaurant.
“I think people will see more coupons at other restaurants for ‘buy-one-get-one free.’ I don’t know if I want to go that route quite yet.”
Like the others, Levy is cutting back on labor. “There are only a couple of things I can control — I’m just working more and cutting back on everybody else a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know any other way around it. For all of us up here, the next three or four months could be tough. It could be tough the whole year. I think next year’s going to worse than this year.”
While times are tough, Levy hasn’t raised prices. “Food costs have gone up but I’m putting the freeze on raising prices because, legitimately, I should have been doing that,” he said. “I’m just hoping that, with gas prices going down, things turn around.”
Levy has also enhanced his marketing plan, going out into the community talking up Christmas parties. “I’m giving deals I wouldn’t normally do,” he said.
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