"We wanted to be able to put a smash burger and fries and a draft beer on the menu for 20 bucks," Alex Laney told the Telluride Times in September.
Laney is director of operations at The Patio, the restaurant that now fills the former Bistro space at 138 E. Colorado Ave., above O'Bannon's and next to the Spruce Street pocket park. The burger price is a positioning statement. So is the closing time. The Patio serves its full menu from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Laney gave the reason plainly: "That is definitely an underserved piece of the market when it comes to food available after 9 o'clock."
Another recent opening in town is making the same bet on price. Cuatro, Cinco, Seis opened in June on West Pacific Avenue, and its co-owner described its prices with one word: in between. Two separate groups, opening months apart, are each aiming at the space between fine dining and the cheapest meal in town. The group behind The Patio now also controls the two spaces next to it, including the downstairs room that houses O'Bannon's.
Who Is Behind the Corner
Laney named his partners as brothers Mike and Matt Fulton and their partner Andrew Lechleiter. The Fultons are grandsons of Ron Allred, a former owner of Telluride Ski Resort. Matt Fulton is part owner of the Whining Pig, which has several locations around Phoenix. According to the Times, his Phoenix restaurant experience and his family's history in Telluride led to the partnership with Laney.
Laney's last job was a nine-year run as director of hospitality training for Telluride Ski & Golf, and he also ran day-to-day operations at Gorrono Ranch. He began as a busboy and worked his way up through restaurants in the South and Texas before arriving in Telluride. "I had always wanted to live and work in a ski town," he said.
The background shows in his priorities. Laney talks about speed as much as food. "I think we sometimes get accustomed to long lines happening in places," he said, "and so we're trying to make sure that we are creating a menu and an experience that allows for quick service without people feeling like they're being rushed or that they're losing out on quality."
What Is on the Menu, and When
The Patio soft-opened in September with indoor seating, front and back patios, and takeout. The takeout is planned to continue through the off-season. Laney said the menu will grow slowly. As described in the September report:
- Now: smash burgers, waffle fries, oysters, charcuterie, and a full bar of cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine
- Later: pizza, salads and deli sandwiches
- Hours: full menu from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Laney put the price thinking in household terms:
"I am a husband and a father and we're a family of three, and I feel like a lot of times, while I appreciate the quality and the effort that goes into many, many dining options around, it's hard to find a meal for three people for less than $100."
He listed the occasions he wants The Patio to cover: a date night, a quick meal, a celebration. His summary was "a place for everyone."
Three Spaces, One Group
The Patio is only the first of the three spaces. The September report described a group that will run three connected spaces on the corner:
- The former Bistro space above O'Bannon's, now The Patio, open since September.
- O'Bannon's, downstairs. The group bought the space but not the pub business. The business closes as of Jan. 1. Laney said the group then plans to reopen it "in short order," with very little change to the space.
- The Main Street-facing space that Kamruz Photography Art Gallery occupies now. The group's long-term goal is a traditional New York-style deli there.
O'Bannon's has history behind it. The pub's own site says Harry Force established it in 1987 and describes it as locally owned and operated. For nearly three decades it was on South Fir Street. The Telluride Times reported that it later reopened in the space that had been the Fly Me to the Moon Saloon, with plans at the time to bring over the same wooden bar, the old jukebox, darts and pool tables. The new owners' stated plan is to keep the pub much as it is, and they have shared nothing beyond that.
The deli fits the same pattern. Deli sandwiches are already on The Patio's list of future menu items, and a New York-style deli facing Main Street adds another quick, lower-cost meal on the same corner. Taken together, the group is building a burger-and-cocktails restaurant upstairs, a long-running pub downstairs and a deli at the front, all under one ownership and all priced for the middle of the market.
Rosen's Word for It Was "In Between"
Three blocks of context explain why the corner matters. On West Pacific Avenue, the small house at 219 W. Pacific held Little House, then Petit Maison. Since June it has been home to Cuatro, Cinco, Seis. It is the fourth restaurant from Kenny Rosen and Michael Goller, who also own Uno, Dos, Tres, The Tunnel and the Cornerhouse. Soft openings ran June 8 and 9, and the official launch was June 11.
Rosen placed the new restaurant within his own group. The Tunnel is the high-concept, fine-dining room. The Cornerhouse and Uno, Dos, Tres are the more budget-conscious options. "Cuatro is definitely in between," he said. "It's sit-down, you're going to pay a little more, but it's not going to be too much." It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Rosen calls the menu an elevated, chef-oriented take on Mexican food. Shareables include an ahi tuna tostada, roasted elote and shrimp ceviche. Entrees include costillas del pastor, enchiladas suizas and lamb shank adobo. Kitchen manager Luis "Ricky" Vazquez worked with the owners to finalize the menu, and bar manager Tabitha Rosado wrote the cocktail list. Early favorites include the Marisol, made with spiced rum, amaro, passion fruit, lime and bitters, and a jalapeño-raspberry margarita.
The Times asked Rosen whether opening after Telluride's challenging winter was a brave decision. "Maybe," he said, "but I think the opportunity was there and we thought the timing was going to work out." He chose a summer opening on purpose, because the front patio "would do its own advertising."
Both new operators have arrived at the same position from different starting points. Rosen got there by filling the gap between his own fine-dining and budget restaurants. Laney got there by pricing dinner for his own family of three. Both have put a patio at the front.
A Space Still Waiting on San Juan Avenue
There is one more change on the in-town dining map. The Cosmopolitan at Hotel Columbia has closed after 29 years. Hotel Columbia's announcement thanks Chef Chad Scothorn, who brought his cooking to Telluride in 1996. The Times' account of his tenure says he developed affordable housing units for his staff and offered free health benefits to full-time and part-time employees. It describes both moves as unusual for Telluride.
The hotel says plans to reimagine the restaurant space are underway but that it is "not quite ready to share what's next." For now, breakfast service continues for hotel guests. No published source says what kind of restaurant will open there, at what price, or when.
What Has Not Been Announced
Several details about the corner are still unknown:
- The O'Bannon's sale. The Times report names no seller, price or transaction date, and we found no other coverage of the deal.
- Kamruz Photography Art Gallery's plans. The gallery has not said publicly whether it will relocate or close.
- The deli's timing. Laney described it as a long-term goal, with no opening date.
- O'Bannon's reopening date. The plan is to reopen "in short order" after Jan. 1, with no specific day given.
What is confirmed is The Patio itself. It is serving now at 138 E. Colorado Ave., with a full menu until 11 p.m. and takeout through the off-season.
Ownership changes on one Telluride corner can redefine a block, and we follow them as closely as any sale. If you own near Spruce Street or along Colorado Avenue and want to talk through what changing commercial ownership means for your property, O'Neill Stetina Group is available to schedule a private consultation.
