Combined forces
Our tap&table podcast launches; a CC student investigates the dearth of late-night "drunchies" food; Dry January gains traction + more food & drink news
You know how restaurants get in the weeds? Ticket times start running long and the expo starts to sweat and the mood in the kitchen drops. The yelling starts. A sauté pan or two goes flying in some direction. Good times.
In better circumstances, stoicism wins the day. Or call it professionalism. Either way the food eventually gets to tables and calm returns. Well, until the next rush.
Sometimes it’s like that as a writer. Except the weeds are a slow motion trainwreck that unfolds over the course of days as tasks pile up and I can’t clear them quickly enough. I watch future me get screwed, feeling bad for the poor guy, pretending for moments that he’s not me. Surely I wouldn’t do that to myself. Yet here I am.
The main reason I’m behind in my work flow (and life flow, if that’s a thing) is I’ve spent a lot of time these past couple weeks ramping up for the release of our new tap&table podcast. My cohost Ryan Hannigan (who’s also my Side Dish content partner with Focal Pint, as well as the designer of my business graphics) and I have both been working like stupid fools. Between us, we’ve procured equipment; tested said equipment with other odd gear we duct taped together; storyboarded; onboarded sponsors; recorded; edited; released; promoted and planned out the next three episodes. Phew. Special thanks to Ryan for the tech work and all the editing; I stayed busy more on the sponsorship and promotions side of things. (Read: He’s the hero.)
Enough talking about it. Now you can watch the inaugural episode right here. You can also stream it on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Google. Hit subscribe while you’re there so you don’t miss an episode. (You’ll also find links at the top of our Side Dish and Focal Pint Substack homepages.) We plan to publish every couple of weeks; stay tuned.
Special thanks to our episode one sponsors: Downtown Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Brewing. Also a shoutout to Streetcar 520 who hosted the first show. Businesses: contact me for info on sponsoring a show, or to send leads.
Gangsta goods at Ranch Foods Direct
The headline above will only make sense if you play this short video. Do it; it’s funny.
Meanwhile, the arctic weather this weekend is just taunting you to make this month’s Schnip’s Pick recipe with Ranch Foods Direct, Gather Food Studio and special guest Bristol Brewing Company. You’ll only need one bottle of Winter Warlock oatmeal stout for the pot, which leaves five from a six-pack for you to savor in front of a fireplace. And if you want to warm yourself up from the inside, just think about the toasty heat from this recipe’s included green chiles and chipotle peppers in adobo plus Gather’s custom-blend chili powder (available at Ranch Foods Direct’s retail markets).
Illegal eats? Why don’t food trucks park near CC late night to serve students with the “drunchies”?
You might recall back in early November when I wrote about being a guest to Corey Hutchins’ Intro to Journalism class at Colorado College. (Yeah, I stood on desks and yelled at students and it was awesomesauce all around.) Well, while there I connected with a student who wished to pursue a guest column for Side dish — kinda like the UCCS student who recently contributed the Top 10 Things to Know Before Going to Casa Bonita to this newsletter.
This student’s name is Charley Sutherland and he’s a CC senior who’s pursuing a political science degree with a journalism minor. He reports on local government in the small neighboring mountain towns of Winter Park and Fraser for the Sky Hi News and he’s a sports reporter for The Catalyst at Colorado College.
After I learned from Sutherland and his journalism classmates that there was a lack of good late night eats on campus, we discussed him pursuing a story to find out why. Here’s the result of his investigation:
As a Colorado College student living about a mile from downtown Colorado Springs, America’s 39th largest city, I would think that when late-night cravings hit, I would have delicious options nearby. On campus, ideally.
That’s simply not the case, as CC’s food service provider, Bon Appetit doesn’t meet the need — I’ll get to that more below. The nearest and best options for late-night eats from Colorado College's campus are downtown. This quest requires a long, often frigid walk, and is not something frequently taken on by my peers deep in the night.
Because we have so few options for late-night eats, students have crafted their own creative, (albeit illegal) food vending operations. It’s not entirely uncommon to see students selling quesadillas, tacos or hot dogs out of their kitchens while hosting house parties. But I doubt my quesadilla-selling peers have bothered with the bureaucracy of obtaining a mobile food vending permit from the city.
Desperation breeds innovation.
It sure would be nice if food trucks could fill the void. Students would have a convenient option to satisfy their drunchies (drunk combined with munchies, a term used to describe feelings of hunger associated with intoxication) or other non-substance-fueled cravings. It seems like the food trucks could make good money too: selling to relatively inebriated students who are likely less price-concerned than they might otherwise be.
Which led me to the curious question which underpins this article: Are food trucks even allowed to park near or on CC’s campus? Let’s take a deep (and somewhat confusing dive) into Colorado Springs’ zoning laws and food truck regulations.
Colorado Springs’ city code reads clearly enough: In residential areas, food trucks can operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In areas zoned “exclusively commercial,” food trucks can remain open until 3 a.m.
Colorado College is surrounded almost exclusively by residential zones, meaning food trucks indeed must close up shop by 7 p.m. But there’s one exception.
Hope remains.
There is a very small section of the campus’ boundary which falls under the form-based zone that encompasses much of the downtown area.
Morgan Hester, a planning manager for the city, confirmed by email that where a narrow strip of the form-based zone meets CC’s campus on Tejon Street, food trucks can legally operate up until 3 a.m. So a food truck, if they wanted to, could park right off campus on public property near the hockey arena in this form-based zone and sell to students late at night.
That said, CC is private property. Property owners get to set their own food truck regulations. So CC — can when they want to — allow food trucks to operate on campus and serve their student population.
Which brings us back to CC’s food service provider, Bon Appétit. They operate CC’s primary dining hall, which closes for dinner at 7:45 p.m. According to Ryan Hammes, CC’s assistant vice president for administrative services, Bon Appétit has an agreement with the college as CC’s “preferred” (contractual language) food service provider.
Hammes said during the busiest times of the year, like family and friends weekend and commencement, CC outsources for their catering needs beyond Bon Appétit. But whenever possible, the college defers to Bon Appétit as per their contractual agreement. According to Hammes, the decision to prioritize Bon Appétit is one fueled by cost for students. By utilizing the company more often, instead of independent caterers or food trucks, CC offsets the cost that students pay for their meal plan.
Hammes said CC does occasionally have food trucks on campus, but they go through a process to ensure that members of the campus community know where they will be and if they will need to connect to utilities. Also, the trucks need to be invited and go through an approval process.
Resident District Manager Kristen Ridgeway of Bon Appétit answered my questions over email about bringing independent food trucks onto campus more often. “Along with our counterparts in the administration at Colorado College, we’re always open to considering options that ensure students’ needs are met,” Ridgeway said.
Bon Appétit’s latest late-night options are Local Goods, which offers convenience store-style offerings, and Susie B’s, which is located in the library and sells coffee and bagels. Both close at 11 p.m. The parties rage much later.
Truck me.
While the administration is not closed off to the idea of more independent food trucks on campus, it’s not something the college is pursuing, says Hammes.
Hector Diaz has run Lucy I'm Home for about ten years. He sells Cuban food, and he got in the game relatively early in Colorado Springs. According to Diaz, when he launched food trucks were looked down upon, and many saw them as low-end, often servicing construction sites.
Since then, all that has changed, and food trucks have surged in popularity. They’ve become cool — super cool. Back when Diaz started, he estimates they were one of about 20 local food trucks. Now, Diaz estimates there are more than 300 trucks. (My editor for this piece, area food writer/critic Matthew Schniper, thinks that sounds high, but agrees the true number is in the hundreds. We agreed not to go spending too much time attempting to track down a real number. Diaz’s point is made.)
In Lucy I’m Home’s early days, Diaz would set up on the street frequently and try to attract those passing by. It helped the brand get noticed. Now, Diaz — who recently abandoned his brick-and-mortar spot in favor of a return to mobile service only — almost exclusively does events. He says he gets invited to set up outside breweries, cater special events and attend food truck rallies, where a bunch of food trucks convene to give customers many options.
When not selling at an event, Diaz says it’s difficult to determine how much he will sell. Because he operates out of a truck, he doesn’t have a bunch of space to store unsold food, meaning it goes to waste, and he loses out on income. Financially speaking, operating with optimal daily pars and inventory is crucial to success.
When not parked at an organized event, “the participant level is just unpredictable,” Diaz says.
Most event sponsors guarantee that the food trucks they use at their events will reach a certain level of sales, according to Diaz, and if they don’t then event sponsors cover the difference. This format generates a kind of predictability that setting up on the street simply does not.
Diaz has parked Lucy I’m Home at CC to cater for numerous events throughout the years, including celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month. He’s been told by students that they would like to see him around more often. When I asked if he had considered parking his truck right off-campus in the form-based zone and selling to students late at night, Diaz says he hasn’t, citing the unpredictability of the venture.
So to recap: Food trucks probably won’t take on the food-and-time-waste risk of parking near CC late at night because it would be a blind faith decision — if Diaz’s personal feelings on the matter translate to his cohorts’ likely sentiments. CC sometimes invites food trucks, but they defer to Bon Appétit whenever possible. Bon Appétit shuts down their modest, more snack-like food options at 11 p.m. And students party much later, leaving no good option except to make illegal quesadillas — that is if they don’t wish to DoorDash cold food from chain restaurants.
Drunchies being what they are, we students do still have standards, you know.
What my research at least reveals is that our conundrum does have a potential solution. Some brave truck (or few) could make it a mission of establishing regular hours and building a loyal student following. Like all entrepreneurial ventures, risk would be involved. But hey, the rewards could be high. The way I see it, there’s money to be made, because I know there’s stomachs to be filled.
Bites and Bits
• Dave's Hot Chicken, which I wrote about here back in October during their opening, has added crispy cauliflower sliders and cauliflower bites to its menu for a vegetarian option. They’re called “Dave’s NOT Chicken” and seasoned just like the poultry. So, you can still get your Reaper on, just don’t do what I did.
• Slice420 has launched an every other Wednesday Facebook live segment where you can watch your pizza be built and request “any customizations for free.” The hour-long special (starting at 5:30 p.m.) will rotate between Old Colorado City and Oro Blanco locations.
• Kebab and Gyro House has replaced The Chippy at 3430 Austin Bluffs Pkwy.
• Fala-Filo has closed. (I’ve sent a message for comment and will report back if I learn anything.) That’s a loss to the scene; it served dishes that nobody else in town offered.
• The Gazette reported that Illegal Pete’s, after two years of delays, finally has an opening date downtown: April 11.
• I recently reminded myself just how beautiful the view is from Patty Jewett Bar & Grill’s dining room. We dropped in over the holidays for a breakfast burrito (with owner Greg Howard’s splendid green chili) and a plate of awesome house-braised corned beef hash and eggs. Sure, summer’s nicer on the patio, but there’s something special about the peaceful winter landscape. We saw a coyote run through the snow.
Dry January seems to be trending strong
Props to all the sober peeps out there this month! I’ve noticed lots of social media posts across platforms as well as major media articles promoting Dry January. Perhaps the best example of traction this week is a post on our Culinary Colorado Springs Facebook group from member Lauren Kunze (who’s a personal friend). She shared a photo from Voodoo Brewing Co. of a mocktail flight, saying her favorites were the passionfruit mule and the pear mojito. As of this writing, more than 600 people had liked the post, over 120 had commented and around 70 folks had shared it. As page co-admin I can say it’s one of the top 3 trafficked posts since we founded the group four years ago. Voodoo: You best prep up. You’re gonna be busy. Blame Lauren.
Mad about mocktails:
• My industry pal Dionne Passacantando penned an article for Springs Magazine on Where To Find the Best Mocktails in Colorado Springs.
• Downtown Colorado Springs says “It's never been easier to be alcohol-free!” They listed a bunch of spots downtown that are featuring “impressive” mocktail menus. Check the comments on their post for even more business shout-outs.
• And while we were recording our tap&table premiere at Streetcar 520, brunch bartender Noah Archuleta created three mocktails on the fly for us utilizing Pikes Peak Brewing’s Trail Water, our sponsor drink. Here he is detailing each drink:
Events:
• Jan. 12-14: 503W 10th Anniversary. 3 p.m. to close each day. Cocktail specials, menu throwbacks and lots of deals for $10.
• Jan. 16: Bleating Heart Night at Goat Patch Brewing “benefiting Rocky Mountain Highway will also feature the MeadowGrass 2024 ticket launch, headliner announcements, giveaways" and live music by Grass It Up.
• Jan. 18: Chris Viaud Top Chef Dinner at Four by Brother Luck.
• Jan 18: Sip with Schnip at The Carter Payne.
• Jan. 19-20: Roaring Twenties Weekend at The Broadmoor.
• Jan. 20: Luau Party at Pikes Peak Brewing.
• Jan. 22: Bar Battle Royale at Tipperary Cocktail Parlor. (Featuring a special finals round, a custom menu (so dine while you drink) as well as mocktails for those who’ve made it this far in Dry January who wish to spectate on-diet.
• Jan. 23: Passport to Veneto Wine Dinner at Pizzeria Rustica, benefitting CASA.
• Jan. 24: The Broadmoor’s Meet the Maker whiskey series continues with Breckenridge Distillery at The Grille.
• Jan 26-27: Hispanic Top Chef Wine Dinner at Eleven18.
Parting shot
Pre-interviewing for the next episode of tap&table. I’ll reveal soon who the special guest is for the episode. Hint: I’m at his house in this photo, and this is his cat. (Yeah, nobody’s gonna get that. My secret’s safe for now.)
