Restaurants and Hardware for South Main Street Development

Delicioso Restaurant

The southern end of Lamar’s Main Street has witnessed recent economic development and business growth.

A long-awaited project is the Delicioso Restaurant which occupies the former short-lived Bamboo Grove restaurant on South Main Street, and prior to that, a KFC restaurant that closed several years ago.  Delicioso is owned and operated by Lamar businessman Jim Hablutzel.  He believed there was a need for a restaurant which has two distinctly different menus.  The noontime meal features a Chipotle themed menu, in which customers can select different ingredients for their meal, in much the same way a Subway sandwich shop operates.

Towards evening, the menu shifts to Italian, using the same concept of counter-top service when ordering a selection.  “Our customers can add as much or as little as they want to their meal,” said Hablutzel.

“We had to do so much work to get the building back up to code,” he said, explaining why it seemed like construction workers were a daily fixture at the restaurant.  “We have an all new kitchen, two brand new bathrooms, new flooring, a new roof and all the plumbing and most of the electrical work and a grease trap is also new,” he stated.

Delicioso employs sixteen cooks and wait staff, who prepare meals on a daily basis, and set up the evening selections during the late afternoon.  “We estimate it should take you from five to seven minutes to have your lunch ready and just a little longer for the dinner selections,” Hablutzel explained.  Except for a temporary sign change outside the restaurant, there has been little fanfare about an opening.  “The reason for a soft opening is very basic.  I wanted everyone trained before we had a grand opening.  What we didn’t want was to get overburdened with a lot of customers and an unprepared staff if we had a cold grand opening.  I want to wait a while to make sure everyone understands how to function as a team and to make sure that we won’t run short on menu items,” he stated.

“We have some good menu items, a very good pizza selection and we can offer wheat-free ingredients as well.”  Delicioso will offer take-out menu items, but they aren’t ready for a delivery service and some business holiday parties have already been booked.  The new restaurant is closed on Mondays right now, but that may change according to customer trends.  Hablutzel said the evening hours may be flexible, also according to demand.  The Italian menu selections are very basic featuring such fare as chicken parmesan, marsala chicken, lasagna, egg plant parmesan, the traditional spaghetti and meatballs and an Italian grilled steak.

Fencing Going Up at Lamar Store

Progress is being made in other areas along South Main Street as construction work is underway at the former ALCO store, now being developed into Colorado’s newest Tractor Supply store.  An opening in February 2015 is planned for the 40,000 square foot facility.  Plans call for five department managers and 15 store clerks who will sell farming and ranching merchandise seven days a week.

Tacos, Formerly Taco Johns

Taco, formerly Taco Johns at 1701 South Main Street, continues to serve a Mexican menu, but without the familiar Taco Johns franchise as was mandated by the corporation.  Clint Estep, who purchased Taco Johns from Les Scriven several years ago, said he couldn’t work under the corporation financial mandates, specifically advertising fees and remodeling costs, but when the franchise ended, Estep still owned the property.

In a conversation several weeks ago, during the franchise change, Estep said he would lease out the business if he couldn’t come to an accord with Taco Johns.  That has now occurred with new signage in place on the restaurant front and a modified menu for inside and drive-through customers.

Editor’s Note:  The Prowers Journal followed up a notation on facebook stating that the restaurant is closing, and an employee, by phone, confirmed that Tacos will close on December 28.

By Russ Baldwin