Dos Gringos Burritos and Café Olé has been rolling up chow and serving to-order coffee drinks for the better part of a quarter century now; Nov. 11 is Dos’ official 25th anniversary. The establishment has become a sort of beacon in Carbondale and the Valley, enticing early-morning commuters or midday lunch runners with its glow.
The business was born somewhat through a series of happenstance. A young Nelson and Julie Oldham met on the Big Burn chairlift on Snowmass back in 1992, after the latter had moved to the Valley and while Nelson was vacationing. Julie said she had planned to move to the mountains from Michigan by the fourth grade, “It just took a little while.” They formed a personal union and made a go of it in the Valley. Eventually, Nelson tired of working carpentry jobs, and Julie tired of his griping and happened to have a background in marketing.
After settling into a home in Carbondale, the duo opened Dos Gringos in 2000 in the then-new La Fontana Plaza. While a lot has changed in Carbondale, Julie said that the spirit is still the same and Dos has kept up with the growth and mirrored those values, while providing a hub for the community to gather.
Whether people are rearranging the furniture for an impromptu work or social meeting, hanging a personal piece of art or returning for breakfast and lunch every day, the team appreciates the reciprocal cohesion. “One thing I’ve always really loved about our customers is that they really feel like this place is theirs,” Julie said. “We all love that.”
The menu hasn’t changed since the beginning, at least for the most part, and was fun to come up with while keeping the diversity of Carbondale in mind, Julie said. They shelled out recipes and names for each unique burrito, and listened to customers, one of which suggested the fixings for the Spud Love.
Nelson said that more so than the food it’s about the people for him, including the team that pulls the strings of the operation. The crew is like family, and not just Nelson and Julie’s kids, who continue to work there when they’re home.
“It’s not really about food. We could be making widgets, you know?,” Nelson quipped. “If I can bring out the best in a person and have them leave with the campfire rule that they are better off after they leave than when they got here, that’s what’s been really rewarding.”
Of the team’s camaraderie, he said, “It’s super inclusive. Whether you’re 45, male, female, Latino or gay, nobody seems to care.”
To show its gratitude, Dos has donated the icing of profits and its space to nonprofits. For its 20th year, the duo donated a portion each week to a different nonprofit. During the pandemic, seeing where there was some substantial need, they donated to local domestic violence resources and the Food Bank of the Rockies. Since then, they have doubled down supporting the Food Bank of the Rockies, acknowledging that while they do their best to keep prices low, some people still can’t afford to go out.
From the 2008 recession to the 2020 pandemic, Dos has weathered many a storm alongside its community with optimism, a smile and even rollerskates — at least during COVID restrictions. On a personal level, Nelson and Julie separated about eight years ago, which of course wasn’t easy for them or the business, but, with the support of the same community, came out the other side as devoted friends and coparents to their Dos baby.
Julie recently met a franchise kingpin, a fellow passenger on an airplane, who referred to Dos as a “unicorn,” and suggested that it could be franchised. Her response was that it is one of a kind. She told The Sun that the last thing they’d want to see is it become corporate, or “anything that took the soul away from this place and what people love about it.”
Nelson chimed in, “It’s about as far from a corporate place as you can get.”
Lucky for us, they intend to keep it local and healthy, sourcing their barbacoa from the Nieslaniks, as well as local eggs and Colorado-based chicken.
Julie said she’s “a Gringo girl,” when it comes to her go-to “burrito a day.” Nelson added that after 25 years of eating there every day, he, too, still loves the food.
While the owners may step back little by little over time, Julie said, “Hopefully Dos lives on no matter what … We have no plans to go anywhere.”
For the 25th, the restaurant is launching a “Dos in the Wild” campaign, where friends of Dos can send photos of Dos merch — stickers, t-shirts, mugs, etc. — in various places. Submitters will have a chance to win periodic gift cards. And don’t forget to stop by Dos Gringos on Nov. 11 to wish the crew a happy anniversary!