Manitou Springs' enduring eatery
Beloved Adam's Mountain Cafe is up for sale (don't panic!) + more food & drink news
“We’re getting old. That’s my only statement.”
She laughs. I laugh. We laugh hard together. I’m talking to Farley McDonough, owner since 2001 of iconic Manitou Springs eatery Adam’s Mountain Cafe. I’ve known her for nearly as long, so we have an easy rapport during what feels like a monumental conversation. She and husband/Adam’s chef David McDonough — who once told me some hilarious restaurant stories for a CS Indy article — have put the cafe up for sale. It’s listed for $1,590,000.
“It is anticipated that the sale includes the real estate only and the business, the menu, recipes, and the equipment shall be negotiated separately,” it reads in the listing summary. Farley tells me she’ll be separately asking for $50,000 for the kitchen equipment (which currently furnishes a pair of kitchens, each with a working hood system) and $250,000 for the Adam’s brand (i.e. the recipes, menus and “reputation”).
Adam’s was founded in the mid 1980’s in its first of four locations. Farley started as a server there in 1991. I became a fan when I was in college in the late 90’s and early aughts, when it was located on Cañon Avenue. Then came the spa building location just up the street, which endured the difficulty of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire (evacuations, smoke) and catastrophe of the 2013 flood, which filled the restaurant with feet of mud and debris. Hence Farley’s desire to abandon the location in favor of purchasing her own building (further downstream, in a less risky area) the following year.
Still, challenges continued with years of road construction along Manitou Avenue out front her building, plus the business had endured the recession (prior, in 2008) and would later endure the Covid pandemic along with everyone else. To Farley, every time they survived one rough spot and recovered, another would come along. She truly believed Covid was going to be her belly-up moment.
Obviously, it wasn’t. But “now it’s the labor market,” she says. “It’s not getting easier to run a restaurant… we’re finally back to where we were pre-Covid. And it got us thinking: Why wait for the next disaster or economic downturn or whatever ends up happening — why not do this now, while we’re on top?”
Plus, there’s her earlier comment about getting older (she’s 58 and David is 62), and she says they needs to be planning for their retirement years ahead. “I want to start this process now instead of waiting until we’re too tired, in case it takes years to sell.”
“I want people to know that this isn’t necessarily imminent,” she says. “Nothing is changing. We’re still fully operational. We’re doing really well right now. Adam’s clientele is larger than it has ever been, and we’re continuing to bring new people in.” And, more importantly on a personal note, she says “I feel good every time I walk in our doors, and that’s how I want to leave. I want to feel good right up until the last minute, instead of in a begging position.”
I ask what would likely happen if the building sells, but not the business. She says: “Nobody’s going to talk me down on the asking price for Adam’s. I’ll keep it if nobody pays it. In our next phase, David and I could possibly do a cookbook or small-scale catering; nobody out there’s catering just to vegans and vegetarians. We’re also floating the idea of family-style to-go meals with our recipes.”
So, for those reading this with a sense of dread — gasp, what if Adam’s ceased to exist at all! — take a settling breath, because there’s several scenarios in which a building sale wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of the cherished enterprise. At least, for now, or several more years to come.
As my conclusion here, imagining a scenario in which Adam’s as a business does sell to another party, perhaps even at this same location, I want to offer this concise statement as an open letter to the new owners:
Congrats. You are clearly smart people to have bought such a beloved brand. Please don’t eff this opportunity up for all of us. Stay the course. Follow the recipes. Don’t get clever. The orange almond french toast cannot be improved; it’s perfect as it is. We’ll be watching you, and we will know.
Luchals set to expand
Luchals Soulful Seafood will soon have its own brick-and-mortar location, adding to its existing location at COATI and its original food truck, which still dispatches for private event bookings and limited food truck rallies and festivals.
The reason owner Chantal Lucas — who’s one of my guest chefs on State of Plate, Ep. 3 — has the next location listed only as “Luchals Pt. 2” on her website, is she doesn’t want to yet announce the exact location. She wants to build buzz before an anticipated late fall opening. (FWIW: Yes, she told me where, and no I’m not telling you, tickle-torture me all you want, tee-hee.)
She’s currently in a demo phase at said place and awaiting the start to renovation plans; she’s also working on a liquor license early. (Yes, you could peruse public records and maybe ruin her surprise, but why be a dick?) When she opens, she’ll do so with new menu items featured, like fresh oysters, pastas, crab cakes and a shrimp cocktail. She’s also planning to add more fish entrées like grouper and snapper. She wants folks to remember that she keeps her kitchen 90% gluten-free friendly.
The truck, popular for items like Crabalicious Crab Fries, launched in 2017. COATI came in 2020, and Lucas says she plans to reside there thru 2024’s end, at least. She wants to continue to grow the brand, even out of state. “The pace depends on our working capital,” she says. “We’ve done this from the ground up. I could see us maybe doing two locations every three years.” She hopes to open in either Castle Rock or Denver as early as sometime in 2024 or 2025.
Meanwhile, stay tuned to her social media for updates on this upcoming 2023 spot.
It’s week two of Side Dish’s collaboration with Gather Food Studio and Ranch Foods Direct. Tune in and participate to support three local businesses with your purchases. Also, check out the flyer below for the Local Vendor Market coming up Saturday at RFD’s east location. I’ll be there; come say hi and grab a bite and your Schnip sticker.
Pardon my French
As I noted last week, The French Kitchen (4771 N. Academy Blvd, tfkcc.com) celebrated its sixth anniversary with a huge party June 3, which featured a chef’s competition between five local chefs, with a $1,000 cash prize. I co-judged said culinary battle, which was both friendly and fierce, exhibiting a lot of talent between TFK chef/instructors Nathan Potter and Andre Derrill and guest chefs Carolina Ascanio (a private chef) and Eric Brenner (chef/owner of Red Gravy) and Mario Vasquez (chef/owner of Colorado Craft). Ultimately, after many an amusing challenge —such as having their chef knives taken away during one round, forcing them to make do only with paring knives — Chef Vasquez won the day, triumphantly incorporating a challenge ingredient of pink lemonade into a poached pear dessert for his final course.
Happenings
• The Feast of Saint Arnold is Saturday, June 10, and Side Dish partner Focus on the Beer has all the details for you.
• For anyone still whining about (I mean, um, constructively complaining about … wait, is that much better?) Lucky Dumpling turning into an Irish bar, this weekend presents a chance to relive the good times, Asian style, with Chef Brother Luck. (My guest on State of Plate, Ep. 4.) At his upstairs playground, The Studio, Luck is hosting a dumpling and noodle pop-up today, Friday and Saturday (June 8-10) with both lunch ($35) and dinner ($75) seatings available by reservation. Here’s the menu:
• The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in partnership with the City launches Food Truck Tuesdays on June 13. The weekly event will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through September 5. “Alamo Square Park and the historic 1903 El Paso County Courthouse have served as a community gathering space for more than 100 years,” Mayor Yemi Mobolade is quoted as saying in a press release. “We look forward to another year of bringing the community together in downtown Colorado Springs to explore the museum and enjoy delicious food this spring and summer.” Here are the 10 trucks, selected by committee, who’re participating this year: Bobby’s World Cuisines, Lori Lynn’s Cookies and Cream, Lucy I’m Home, Lumpia House, Mateo’s Catering, Porkbutt BBQ, Roc and Ro Sushi on the Go; Sapo Guapo Tacos, Sosas Pupuseria Food Truck, and Tossed Food Truck.
• Snooze A.M. Eatery is celebrating Pride Month with a campaign called Everyone Is Welcome at Our Table, “with the goal of increasing LGBTQ allyship,” according to a press release. The company is simply asking the public to dine with them during June to show support. They’ll be making a donation to The Trevor Project.
• A Boulder-launched franchise named Rush Bowls, currently with 42 locations in 21 states, opened its first Colorado Springs location on June 3 at 11010 Cross Peak View, off Interquest Parkway (which setting aside brave indie outfits like Atmosphere Gastropub has become quite the chain restaurant row, sadly). The location is owned by local franchisees Randy and Charity Stauffacher, who I also mentioned in my May 18 newsletter as they’re also the owners of the newly opened Teriyaki Madness franchise. (Wow they’re moving quickly.) Rush Bowls, for its part, is known for “signature blended fruit/veggie bowls and smoothies, plus grab-and-go protein bites and specialty products for pups,” says a press release.
• Another franchise that just announced its first Colorado Springs location — also going in on Interquest, at 1286 Interquest Parkway — is Dave’s Hot Chicken. This one is scheduled for a September opening tentatively. From a release: “Dave’s Hot Chicken specializes in jumbo Hot Chicken Tenders and Sliders, along with sides of house-made Kale Slaw, creamy Mac n’ Cheese and crispy, seasoned French Fries. Offered at seven various spice levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper (which requires a signed waiver for those who dare).” Dave’s started as a Los Angeles food truck in 2017 and already has rights sold to 700 locations across Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East, with 70 opening in 2023. This franchise location is co-owned by Jay Hafemeister, who owns several Carl’s Jr. franchises locally with his dad Jim. (I know Jay’s wife Lindsey, who’s worked in marketing/PR locally for many years.)
Cuttlefish balls and piggy buns
My free subscribers may now read in-full my early May review of Bubbles N' Bites.
