Gwyn’s restaurant belong in family hands

After 39 years that they have been managing Gwyn’s High Alpine restaurant at Snowmass, George, Gwyn and their daughter are being moved out by the Aspen Skiing Co. from the newly-renovated restaurant. This is a bad idea.

Let’s compare my recent experiences at Gwyn’s and a Skico on-mountain Snowmass restaurant that I will not name.

At Gwyn’s, the food was superb, with recipes that you simply do not find on mountain elsewhere. The staff, people who have typically been there many years, genuinely and easily interacted with customers. Even the folks who cleared the tables were happy to talk with me. George and Gwyn circled the room, as often as not clearing the tables, talking with many friends and many strangers. There was an incredible feeling of warmth. When was the last time you had this experience at an on-mountain restaurant, or, for that matter, anywhere else ?

So, on to the Skico Snowmass restaurant. The staff were talking to each other and it was hard to place an order. The bored-looking manager was on his phone. Let’s not talk about the food. The too-loud music echoed through a mostly empty restaurant. I paid $16.50 for a glass of cheap wine in a cheap glass. At Gwyn’s it was $12 for a premium wine in a suitable glass.

As I understand it, Skico is looking to own all the on-mountain restaurants and control them to provide a consistent dining experience. We, the skiers, are not fools. Which experience do you think we want?

Chick Hancock

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via:: The Aspen Times