12 Colorado Restaurants Our Parents Took Us To While Growing Up
Did your parents ever take you to Sambo's on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction? How about Bonanza? If you grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado in the 1970s and 80s (and maybe in the 90s), your parents probably took you to these long-gone restaurants.
Many of the restaurants you love today were once restaurants of another sort. Have you been to Old Chicago lately? There was a time when that was a Bonanza. How about Kannah Creek? Can you remember when that was Sirloin Stockade?
Some of Grand Junction's Best Restaurants
Drive down Highway 50 on Orchard Mesa in Grand Junction and you'll spot a pile of rubble on the south side of the road. That used to be Marv's Stop & Eat. While not particularly big, that pile of rubble was once a popular stop back in the early 1980s.
Have you been to Denny's on Horizon Drive lately? That building has been there forever. Back in 1976, though, it was a Sambo's. You and your family would hop in the car and go to Sambo's for breakfast or dinner.
Fast forward to 2022, and you can fully imagine how incredibly PC the name Sambo's isn't. As a matter of fact, the last restaurant in the chain, located in Santa Barbara, California, changed its name back in 2020.
Making The Trek For Popular Grand Junction "Area" Restaurants
A very popular thing to do in the 70s and 80s was to round up the family and drive to either Cameo or Mesa to have dinner. Many families would drive up to Mesa, Colorado to visit the Wagon Wheel. Now, in this case, the Wagon Wheel is still open for business.
Another popular out-of-town dining option was the restaurant in Cameo, Colorado, just down the road on I-70. People would drive there just to have dinner. Why? I haven't a clue. The restaurant had a number of names over the years, the last I can remember was The Eagle's Nest.
Western Colorado bands used to love going to the restaurant in Cameo. You would see bands pulling into the restaurant at 3 a.m., on their way home from that night's gig.
It's Amazing How Many Of These Building Are Still Around
With the exception of Marv's in Orchard Mesa, most of these buildings are still standing. Most are still restaurants, just operating under new names.