Business has been popping in the parking lot of the classic Red Rock Diner this past week.The folks of Slow Groovin BBQ in Marble purchased the restaurant and during the remodel will be serving their infamous BBQ from a food truck out front of the iconic silver bullet-esque building at the gates of town.
Over the years, many Carbondalians have sat with their close friends or loved ones and enjoyed a milkshake to chase down their meal at the diner. Some may remember the days when Bob Olenick, the original owner, would come shoot the breeze at their table — always sporting his signature Hawaiian shirt.
While things will start to look a little different, the new owners are also known for adding a personal component which expectedly will provide a similar downhome feel.
“The new diner is going to be called Honey Butter,” says Stephen Horner, one of the three owners, “It’ll be a chicken fried diner and we’ll be serving classic breakfast, lunch and dinner, diner style.” The main feature, as Horner puts it, will be the fried chicken, unique variations of which will be available for each meal.
Honey Butter is expected to reopen the building sometime in September when, “All day long, anytime, you can get it by the piece or by the bucket,” says Horner, “you know, just a really fun kind of highway chicken shack meets ‘50s diner.”
Currently the trio is working on getting the licensing to use all of the culinary equipment in the old diner. Once they do, the plan is to begin selling their fried chicken out of the food truck to test it out on the community. Judging by their reputation as culinary artists it’s unlikely to disappoint.
Change awaits the diner but you’ll see some similarities when you walk in those familiar doors in the fall. Horner envisions that some of what was, will be and says you’ll still be able to,“walk in, get a milkshake, a cheap breakfast and a hot cup of coffee.”
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