The crack of the cue ball breaking the rack greets customers as they walk in most hours of the day. People like to relax here. They like to play pool here, eat here, imbibe their favorite beverage here, and more than anything visit with friends and neighbors at what many call “the local hangout.”
Barb Stewart is often behind the bar. Sometimes she is serving comfort food in the dining room, or running around catching up on other projects inside the venue.
The next sound you may hear is Roy, calling out a server’s name from the kitchen. “Barb, you’re up.” or Ambeeer..” Beside Roy, you’ll often find Nolan and Bradley. And Eric may be the big guy behind the bar, keeping it real with his smile and sarcasm. Mary Haus is helping serve and clear tables. And Barb’s mom, Anna, age 96, may be rolling silverware at the end of the bar. Anna has lived in Gilpin County for over 50 years.
Roy’s is family owned and operated. They opened their doors on February 7, 2007. Their goal was to have a fun and friendly atmosphere, without being in a casino, in a county full of casinos. Before that they worked in restaurants across the foothills, including Nederland. They have also worked and lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and Cape Cod (among others).
Their son Thor has completed the stone work on the restaurant and worked on multiple building changes and modifications in the last 14 years. Thor lives in Las Vegas.
Roy’s is open for breakfast through dinner Friday to Sunday. And open for lunch and dinner on Wednesday and Thursday. This year they implemented an all-you-can-eat option on Wednesday and Thursday, to cut back on staffing needs, while trying to navigate restaurant life during a pandemic. They are currently the only full service restaurant in mid Gilpin County, and run on a skeleton crew with only 6 employees, three of whom are part-time.
Roy says, “I love people, I love interacting and I love to feed everyone.” Roy is also an accomplished artist who sells his work at the venue. He loves wood burning, painting and being creative. He says he makes a lot of art. Barb says she enjoys, “meeting new people from all over the place and in my down time I like embroidery, cross stitching and spending time with our dogs. Both say it’s not about the money, they just love people and want to do this. They hold benefits for local fire departments, schools and anyone who needs a hand up. They strive to be a community gathering place.
They close for a few weeks every year. They work with staff to deep clean and scrub the place from top to bottom. The restaurant needs this kind of upkeep to be warm and welcoming. It also gives them an opportunity to regroup and visualize the changes around them, finding ways to support the community and continue their goals of feeding everyone.
Covid has impacted their business like many in the country. There are staffing shortages everywhere; it’s no different in Gilpin County. They were closed for in-person dining for months, but served to-go food during the pandemic. They had a few free days where they fed everyone to-go food, just to make sure everyone had a meal. The Stewarts say they are not growing much right now. They’re thankful to be open. They’re grateful for all of the community support and the locals who stop in to visit all the time.
When asked what they would do if the restaurant sells, Barb says she would get more dogs. Roy would create more art. The couple recently put a lot behind the restaurant on the market.
Roy’s Last Shot is located at 17268 Hwy 119 in Black Hawk. They can be reached at 303-642-7870. You can also check out their Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/RoysLastShot/
Sponsored by Gilpin County, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
