The Frisco Depot, a new eatery on Main Street, is the perfect stop for skiers headed to Copper Mountain. Most meals are less than $10 and hearty breakfasts like this chicken-fried steak with gravy and homefries, are under $7.
Dining out in a Colorado ski resort town doesn’t always have to bust the budget. Sure, on-mountain burgers can cost $10, but locals know there are always a few spots where you can grab some decent grub at an affordable price.
The latest affordable eatery in Frisco is the Depot, at the west end of Main Street, a perfect location if you’re headed to Copper Mountain. The restaurant features tasty breakfasts like sausage and egg wraps and French toast, for under $4.
Other than the large pizzas, all dinner entrees, including chicken-fried steak and meatloaf platters, are under $10, catering to “wallet-weary and budget conscious” locals and visitors, according to owner Charlie Eazor.
“It’s an atmosphere like eating at your kitchen table,” Eazor said, explaining that the new restaurant, which opened just a week ago, is aiming to keep almost all its meals, except large pizzas, under $10.
“We’re quite pleased that we hit our objectives,” Eazor said. “We want two adults to be able to eat here for under $20, and a family of four, with two small kids, for under $30,” he said.
Since the cost of food is about the same for all restaurants, Eazor tackled the pricing issue from the service side. The new restaurant is operated diner-style, where patrons can help themselves to drinks at a soda fountain, for example, to keep labor costs down.
“We had to figure out a way to keep the prices down without paying our people less,” Eazor said.
Eazor, who also owns the popular Blue Spruce, said the 88-seat Depot — formerly the A-Train restaurant — is intended to complement the existing restaurants on Main Street, offering a respite from high prices and a relaxed atmosphere. An outdoor patio can seat about 30 more people during the warmer months.
A big plate of French toast, along with scrambled eggs, is $3.95 at the Frisco Depot, one of the most affordable ski breakfasts around.
Breakfast is offered Saturdays and Sundays and will surely be popular with skiers headed toward Copper. Prices start at $3.95 for a two-eggs, meat and home fries plate.
The lunch and dinner menu includes a $5.95 burger basket, a large plate of fries for $2.45, and a chicken-fried steak platter for for $6.95. A 10-inch Pacific pizza, with ham, pineapple, peppers and onions, is $10.75.
“We’ve had some decent nights already. People are checking us out and they’re definitely loving the food and prices,” said co-manager Lenny Page. “We’re definitely catering to locals,” he added.
“I’m a chicken person, so I go for the chicken sandwiches,” said server Maria DiPasquale. “The portions are really reasonable. Everyone is impressed by the quality, the quantity and the price, especially for this area,” she said.
Eazor said he was really focused on maintaining the unique qualities of Frisco’s Main Street as he planned the restaurant.
“We don’t want people to say, ‘We’ve got that at home, so we don’t need to go there,” he said, referring to chain eateries.
Eazor, who purchased The Blue Spruce in August, said he noticed people were coming into that establishment and sometimes deciding to leave because of the prices.
“Even if you’re just having burgers in the saloon, it can get pricey,” he said.
The Depot gives people an alternative in the same part of town and helps keep people in Frisco’s commercial corridor, he added.
“We were blessed to find 10 good people,” Eazor said, referring to his new staff. “They’ve really taken pride of ownership and helped design the menu.”
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