Colorado Mountains, Skiing, Ghost Towns, 4×4, and Vacations

Every few weeks, we visit my husband’s brother in Denver.  Since he also does not cook, we often eat out before returning to our home in Silverthorne, Colorado.  We have eaten at some of the so-called “finest” restaurants Denver has to offer, only to be disappointed in the lousy service.  Our brother, who eats out constantly, tells us that it is rare to see the same people working at the restaurants he visits.

Eating in Summit County is an experience in itself because of the large crowds.  During the winter while the skiers are here for their Colorado vacation, not only are the restaurants crowded, but also the grocery stores, hair salons, liquor stores, movie rental places, gas stations, etc.  We learned quickly that eating in Summit County requires being at the restaurant at awkward times.  Because my husband refuses to wait for a table, getting to a restaurant at 3:00 pm for lunch, or 8:00pm for dinner, or 7:00am breakfast is what we now do.

A few months ago, my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants in Dillon, Colorado called Pug Ryan’s.  Every visit to Pugs is an experience.  With all the skiers in town, the place gets quite crowded and you sometimes overhear very interesting conversations.  The waiters and waitresses at Pugs are constantly running to keep up with the crowds and I don’t know how they do it, but they always seem to have a smile on their faces.

We arrived at Pugs about 7:45pm or so and we were immediately seated.  Pug’s is known for their Micro Brews, my favorite being the wheat beer.  Since it was so late the dining room was clearing out as most people were moving into the bar area.  It was nice, and rare, for my husband and I to have a little area in the restaurant all to ourselves.  We talked and laughed and never noticed the time.  At one point, a waitress came to our table and refilled our drinks, compliments of the restaurant.  At that time, we noticed the time and yes, we had been there waiting for our food for a very long time.  Waiting for your food at Pugs is very unusual, but like I said, we were enjoying our night so we didn’t really care.

A few minutes later, the owner of the restaurant came to our table.  As he grabbed a chair and sat down, he apologized for our wait and told us that he had several people out sick.  I had seen him waiting tables earlier, but really didn’t think much about it until he began talking to us.  The poor guy seemed so tired, but he was in a good mood.

What sticks out in my mind about this Pugs experience is the fact that the owner of the business was working so hard.  As I thought about this, I began to realize that seeing owners work like this is nothing new in Summit County.  In fact, you can often see the owners of many restaurants and other small businesses working like this.  So many times, in the larger Denver chain restaurants, you see some manager-type looking person barking orders at employees.  At Pugs, not only have I never seen anyone barking orders, I’ve seen the owner working right along side of the employees several times since that first night a few months ago.  This type of leadership creates a great working environment, which in turn, creates a great dining experience for the customer.

The majority of jobs in Summit County, Colorado attract numerous young people because of the wages.  The tips are good and the jobs are plentiful, which enable them to save for college or any other ventures they may have.  Unfortunately, Summit County offers very little affordable housing for these people.  Most of these young people live with five or six other people in a small condo.  A lot of these people only stay here a year or two then return to wherever they came from.  This makes it very difficult for businesses to hire employees.

So, why does it seem that restaurant service is better in the Summit County than in Denver?  More of the restaurants here are smaller and independently owned.  I believe that since employees are so hard to find, the employers treat them better.  Nobody wants to work for a micromanaging jerk.  Up here, employers can’t afford to be micromanaging jerks, nor can they afford to pay outrageous salaries.  So instead, they create a better working environment for their employees.

I believe the way your treat customers defines your business.  A great working environment……a great customer experience…….wow, what a concept!

Pugs is located in Dillon at 104 Village Pl and their phone number is (970) 468-2145