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Amy, Olivier, Gigi and Daniele Mottier at Jour de Fete’s new take-out window.
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Lynn Chaffier gets a Margarita at Woody Creek Tavern from Amy Young in the window.
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Adam Malmgren behind the register at Mi Chola, serving local Lucy Lea Tucker.
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DJ Montalban works the window at Mr. Grey.
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Anna Cochrane welcomes customers to Bear Den’s walk-up window.
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Kayla Feld and Oliver Bacharach on their mobile delivery bikes.
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Remy Selby visits the W Aspen Bitsy Wagon.
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With restaurants reopening for take-out, there also has been a surge of creativity as to how each of their walk-up windows or mobile services is presented.
Bear Den’s charming brick building with a take-out station on the porch has been busy from breakfast through dinner. Their menu of grab-and-go items includes pastries, salads, sandwiches, coffee drinks, cocktails and more. According to employee Anna Cochrane, they typically close at 5 p.m., but as customers keep coming, they have been staying open to accommodate them. “And our e-bike has been great for deliveries around town,” she added.
Woody Creek Tavern recently reopened with a noon to 8 p.m. walk-up window serving favorites from tacos to soups and their famous margaritas. It still makes for a fun bike ride from town to enjoy take-out on their patio, following social-distancing guidelines as they’ve marked in chalk on the ground.
Jour de Fete has turned its dining room windows into counter service and expanded their produce order by fourfold from Farm Runners, a regional food distributor based in Hotchkiss that specializes in custom-harvested farm products.
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“Customers have been super supportive,” said Daniele Mottier, who pitches in with her sister and parents to run their family business. “My dad’s been super emotional” throughout the process, an indication of how much he cares about their restaurant and loyal patrons. On Saturdays, they plan to have music on their deck, which started last week and was met with great success.
The W Aspen’s Bitsy Wagon is a great grab-and-go option, parked in front of the hotel. Locals Kayla Feld and Oliver Bacharach have been riding around on their mobile delivery bikes — hers peddling ice cream and his representing Jimmy’s — stopping by parks with their provisions for picnics.
Two of my favorite windows are Mr. Grey, which is serving cocktails from their bar menu and food from the popcorn wagon in an environment that feels a bit like being on a beach vacation, and Mi Chola, which converted the window next to the main entrance into their take-out station. I’ve even heard mutterings from locals who hope Mi Chola keeps that window as-is when they reopen in full since it works so well for strolling by to order and takeaway.
Visit the Aspen Chamber’s website for the list of local restaurants they’ve compiled that are open and offering takeout or delivery in Aspen and Snowmass.