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New Glenwood restaurant uses an old name

John Stroud
Glenwood Springs correspondent
Aspen, CO Colorado
Jason DeweyChef Mark Fischer, pictured here behind the bar at Restaurant Six89 in Carbondale, is planning to open a new restaurant called The Pullman in Glenwood Springs at the corner of Seventh and Cooper.
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS – When Carbondale restaurateur and chef Mark Fischer started considering names for his new Glenwood restaurant, he only had to look as far as the storied history of the downtown corner space he’s leasing.

Long before a night club, bus terminal, sporting goods store, auto glass shop, motor company and filling station operated at the busy southwest corner of Seventh and Cooper across from the Amtrak train station, it was home to the Pullman Diner from the early 1920s to the early ’30s.

Even before that, it served as the Pullman Bar, a popular watering hole for patrons of the Odeon Theatre, which operated next door in what’s now the Eagle’s Lodge building.



And so, Fischer’s latest restaurant venture, The Pullman, was born.

Fischer, who owns and is head chef at the popular Restaurant Six89, and who also owns Phat Thai restaurant, both in Carbondale, is shooting for a pre-Christmas opening of his new Glenwood restaurant.




“I was approached earlier this summer by a gentleman who was interested in purchasing the property,” Fischer said of the building that most recently housed the Club Roxy nightclub.

“He framed a deal that made sense to us,” Fischer said. “It’s a great neighborhood, and the timing was good for us both operationally and financially.”

Fischer said he has had his eye on the Glenwood dining market for some time.

“We’ve always thought that Glenwood was a little under-served in the sense of people doing local food from local producers, and doing something thoughtful with that food,” he said. “We have so many small farms now locally and all the way down to [Grand] Junction that I think are under-represented.”

The name, Pullman, has dual meanings, both of which can apply to the new restaurant’s setting and focus

A Pullman is a type of luxurious railroad parlor or sleeper car, common during the heyday of passenger rail travel in the early to mid 20th century. Since the location is directly across from Glenwood’s historic train station, that’s likely where the bar/cafe name originally came from.

“I’m not really into the cliche train theme,” admits Fischer, although the location certainly will add to the ambiance of the new restaurant location, he said.

However, “pullman” also is a type of bread loaf, which fits nicely with what The Pullman intends to offer.a

“Our approach will be tasty American food, and we will be sourcing our product locally as much as possible, same as we do at Six89,” Fischer said. “We also want to make it approachable for everybody by offering a reasonable price point.”

In addition to lunch and dinner seven days a week and weekend brunch, The Pullman will feature its own homemade breads that may grow into a retail bread trade, he said.

“We would like to do a volume that might turn into a small retail trade and bakery,” he said, adding a breakfast pastry and coffee counter is another possibility once up and running.

The Pullman will occupy a 4,000-square-foot space and have seating for around 100 people.

“I’m also optimistic that, by doing a third restaurant, our first two are only going to improve,” Fischer said.

jstroud@postindependent.com