“Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives” was absolutely one of my favorite shows while it aired.
Guy Fieri did such a great job of finding cool restaurants serving amazing food.
(And not, like, restaurants you already knew about, you know?)
And while every restaurant he highlighted was special…
Follow The Coconut Mama
• For fun lists, healthy living tips, and bar conversation topics, make sure to follow The Coconut Mama. Click here to access The Coconut Mama’s profile page and be sure to hit the Follow button here or at the top of this article!
• Have feedback? Add a comment below!
Shutterstock
Not all of them have stood the test of time. (Here’s another that went under – tough story.)
That’s not, to be clear, a commentary on their food.
It’s just – times change, you know?
And the restaurant business is very different from what it was even ten years ago.
Shutterstock
Just off the top of my head:
– The rise of delivery apps and resulting increased competition
– The pandemic, which was a huge shock all on its own
– The results of the pandemic (aka shift toward take-out)
– Enhanced health regulations
– Changing consumer food preferences
And more.
Shutterstock
A lot of longtime winners have struggled in this new paradigm.
Chain restaurants, of course, are suffering big.
But it’s a lot of mom and pop shops that serve no-frills, delicious food – exactly the kind of places that Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives really highlighted – that have taken it on the chin.
Shutterstock
There’s no doubt that Millennials and Gen-Z are looking for healthier food than previous generations.
And while, of course, yes, we should all eat healthy…
There’s something special about a really great, greasy breakfast every now and then, you know?
This is the story of Mountain Shadows Restaurant in Colorado Springs:
Shutterstock
Mountain Shadows Restaurant was a breakfast staple throughout Colorado even though it only had one location.
Their oversized cinnamon rolls…the Mickey Mouse pancakes…the Colorado omelets (if you know, you know)…
Their food wasn’t particularly fancy or full of weird new ingredients – just good quality cooking, done right.
Shutterstock
They were a local institution for 30+ years, and eventually they came to the attention of Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.
On December 18th, 2015, Guy Fieri introduced them to America by enjoying their Rocky Mountain roast beef sandwich and their giant cinnamon roll.
(I know I keep bringing up the cinnamon roll, but truly – it was giant! And delicious!)
Shutterstock
Mountain Shadows did ok through the pandemic (every restaurant, of course, struggled), and through the 2022-2023 inflation scare, too.
But the owners had struggled financially to make everything work, and – like so many other businesses, unforunately – they eventually threw in the towel.
There just weren’t enough customers – even for a restaurant that had become famous across the nation.
Follow The Coconut Mama
• For fun lists, healthy living tips, and bar conversation topics, make sure to follow The Coconut Mama. Click here to access The Coconut Mama’s profile page and be sure to hit the Follow button here or at the top of this article!
• Have feedback? Add a comment below!
Shutterstock
The owners announced the permanent closure on December 10th, 2024 on Facebook and sold the building soon after.
And along the way they posted a heartfelt message to longtime patrons, thanking them for all the good times and good memories (and good food!), and sharing their need to sell the building “ASAP.”
Two notes on this sad story:
Shutterstock
#1: These folks didn’t get greedy. They didn’t try to launch a nationwide franchise or anything after their Drive-Ins, Diners, & Dives debut.
They just kept doing the work. Every day.
And it still didn’t save them.
What a heartbreaker.
And of course…
Shutterstock
They joined a wave of restaurants closing in Colorado Springs over the last six-to-eight months.
The local economy just hadn’t (still hasn’t, really) recovered from the pandemic, and downtown still just doesn’t have the kind of foot traffic to sustain as many restaurants.
What a heartbreaker.
Shutterstock
My heart goes out to the owners and to all the impacted staff.
I want to wish them the best, and I sincerely hope the next chapter is kinder to them.
They’ve earned it.
And I want to leave with a challenge to you:
Shutterstock
If you’ve been saddened by this story…and I think we all are…
Let’s all think on ways to help our Main Streets thrive.
What can YOU do to support local businesses?
Let us know your ideas in the comments! Let’s share them together and help make our communities stronger.
Shutterstock
Leave a Comment