Restaurant and pub to open in Aspen Airport Business Center

Aspen native Aidan Wynn hopes to fill a void for people who work, visit or live in or near the Aspen Business Center: somewhere to sit down and grab a beer, bite or meal after 5 p.m.

The business center boasts a few spots that prepare “high-quality foods” at breakfast and through the lunch hour, Wynn said, but nothing that remains open beyond the workday.

“If you don’t live here, you might not realize how many people are out here,” he added. “There’s a full-on thriving community of people.”

To that, Wynn and Slopeside Lanes owner Mark Reece plan to open a casual, family-friendly restaurant and pub in the Aspen Business Center.

Winston and Frazier’s Neighborhood Pub, named after Wynn’s mutts, will assume the space whereby Mountain Naturals operates at 316 Aspen Airport Business Center.

The two will take over the lease on the 1,550-square foot space in mid-January, after the 21-year-old health-food store closes its doors.

Wynn said he and Reece look forward to “continuing (Mountain Naturals owner Anthony Smith’s) legacy of providing affordable food for the people of the ABC.”

Wynn said they hope to open the restaurant about mid-May. While the menu is still under construction, Wynn said it would offer “basic staples” such as steak, salmon, hand-cut fries, salads and deep-dish pizza.

The American bistro will tailor to adults and children alike, Wynn said, in an effort to serve the families that reside in the neighborhoods within walking distance of the business center, including the North 40, Alpine Grove Condominiums, Annie Mitchell Homestead and Burlingame.

“Are we looking forward to (this)?” Susan Terra quipped as she walked her dog Friday afternoon. “Like you can’t believe it.”

“This is pretty much the thing we’ve been talking about,” the North 40 resident said. “We want a healthy dinner, we want a place that’s nice for our kids, that’s welcoming, where we don’t have to worry about driving and parking.”

Terra, who built her home in the development 16 years ago, described the need for a nearby dinner and bar spot as “enormous.”

“It’s unbelievable that no one did it sooner,” Terra said. “But it’s meant to be for Aiden because he’s a neighborhood guy who totally gets us.”

For Wynn, the restaurant’s realization is not only a “dream,” it’s also a solution.

“I remember I got off work one day, I came home and all I wanted was to sit down and have a beer,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Man, there is nowhere to go.’”

“I love it out here,” Wynn said. “But there’s nowhere to get a beer after skiing; you (have) to go to town to watch football.”

With plans for television screens and NFL viewing packages at the pub, the longtime Aspen restaurateur hopes to change this.

Reece has operated restaurants and bars in Aspen and also Naples, Florida, while Wynn has worked in the local industry for years, including as a part owner at El Rincon, general manager at The Meatball Shack and a bartender and manager at Mezzaluna.

erobbie@aspentimes.com