Dinner Break!!! Arby's - Colfax and York, Denver CO

"We have no meats!"


I hope you read that using your worst James Earl Jones impression...

A friend of mine shared a link to a facebook group, organizing a candlelight vigil for an Arby's sign that was being removed from the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. It had been open for 47 years, before closing recently. Suddenly, this became a big deal since thousands of people suddenly became interested in attending...


The old Arby's sign here was not that sign in Minneapolis. This one stands today at 45th and Sheridan in Lakewood, Colorado. (With the Arby's classic hat commonly known as "the dick sign", it makes the message underneath even funnier...)

There used to be an old Arby's sign just like this in Englewood. But that Arby's closed in 2003, and soon became a Jimmy John's. No idea what happened to that sign...

Point being, these signs are disappearing from our fast food culture quickly. Which is why a vigil was held in Minneapolis.

My Arby's story is nothing like that...


In order to prepare myself for it's writing, I had to get into character. I was going to eat half of the contents of this bag of Arby's... Then write about an Arby's that I couldn't have bought it from!


This former Arby's at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and York Street, in Denver, Colorado, closed at some point before May 19, 2015. I'd driven by it often, but never stopped. It's location wasn't easy to access due to one way streets and heavy traffic flow. Photographs from the street were tough to get as the store and signage would have been obscured from nearly all angles.

I'd assume all these factors lead to the store underperforming, then being closed. Despite it's relatively new appearance.


So here was dinner. One of their half pound Big Ass Roast Beef sammiches, Laura and I were gonna split the Mozzarella Sticks. And she had her own big ass roast beefseses...

We were going to eat and catch up on an episode of X-Files or two...


Food I could not have purchased at 2310 E Colfax Ave...

My first attempt at accessing the property was blocked by a semi truck, making a delivery to a Subway next door. I wasn't able to see these cement barricades from Colfax, and wouldn't have been able to park there anyway.


I blame them. There's no clear indication that I can't park here. I mean, you have to be real specific or mistakes can be made. At least tell me that I shouldn't be here!


The roast beef was good. It usually is. It's the counter effects a few hours later that are usually the problem. The Mozzarella Sticks had hints of a strong pepper on them. I bit into several that bit me back. Laura turned them down outright...


My order could not have been pre-planned in the drive through by Arby's Combo Meal Sneak Preview Stand. With a dated Pepsi logo. These boards never featured much information, typically beyond a top-six Combo Meal countdown. This preview board couldn't even hide my car...


The back of the Arby's. 


The full menu board and intercom speaker stand. 


Maybe the hot pepper was in the Marinara dipping sauce? Roast beef is still pretty good.


With the exception of Sardine, all the tagging at Arby's had been covered by grey paint. Which doesn't exactly blend in with the regular tan decor of Arby's. The covered window looks like it was freshly covered. Maybe Sardine knows something about this?


Just below the boarded up window was a copy of this book. I obscured the name on the cover. Though maybe I shouldn't have? Perhaps I could have helped get it back to it's owner? Bringing a hero's sensibility to Four Baggers?

Well, if you lost your copy of Bold, it's in the Arby's at Colfax and York...


If you want to make your graffiti legible, you need to chose a medium that allows your message to be heard! After careful analysis, I've concluded what the author was trying to say:

"Irma says fuck Tetris Gazebo (heart) with love always." 

It just could have been clearer...


Oh... I guess they're not open today...


Not at this window either...


Someone also took the sink...


Arby's had a long and strange drive through set up. Seems rather isolated from the rest of the kitchen. 

Cant imagine that being very functional....


All those extra footsteps would have delayed an Arby's worker from
bringing me my big ass roast beef.

Perhaps that is why they are no longer open?


Arby's had a visually appealing design for both the landscaping the building itself. They did a good job in wedging this place into the small chunk of land they had to work with.

Let's take a look inside the seating lounge...


Looking across the area closest to the front counter, east to west.


Middle set of windows. The booths were still installed, but the tables and chairs were long gone. 


From the north, looking in at the front counter. The kitchen area was very hard to see, and Arby's had removed all interior indications of their past stay here. Not only was the Arby's menu gone, even the menu boards themselves had been removed.


Arby's has been closed for at least three years now, but the building still looks very nice. Someone could come in here and be up and running in short order.

Or once the price is met, bulldozed in favor of something completely different...


This pole wouldn't have been nearly enough to support a giant dick hat sign...


Dinner was going well. X-Files was good.


Looking through the center front door. Again, no hints of Arby's in sight.


Those large seating structures really block off too much of the restaurant. I like the idea they are going for. The isolation these seats provide is nice, but you have no options for quick on-the-fly seating arrangement changes, due to unexpected needs.


Given the concrete layout of the lobby, these picture don't have much of interest. Arby's left little behind as well.

Oh look! A roll of tape and a Sharpie!


Except this! 

Arby's loves it's diversity... You could be just like the white guy! Or the Asian Woman! Or the slightly darker white guy! Or the whitest guy who ever whited!


Too many rules Arby's!


Arby's west side. Featuring more mismatched grey paint! 

The window into the kitchen area had been blacked out so I couldn't see anything back there...


Hey! Someone stole the pay phone!

Sardine!

I like that the pay phone was once housed in a Tupperware child safety seat...


My Roast Beef is going away quickly. 

The Mozzarella Sticks were not going away as fast since Laura didn't want any...


I'm giving you a big bunch free publicity, Shames Makovsky, in advertising your available restaurant property... I'd appreciate a heads-up if you plan on knocking it down...


Oh no! I had no idea that it wasn't cool if I was here! They've got to be a little more clear about that kind of thing... How is anyone supposed to know if they don't tell us?

Guess I should probably leave then...


Again, the east side of Arby's...

Wait, what's that in the drive-up?


Subway! I knew it! You move in next door with your gross dishwater flavored sammiches and your Jared and you stage a hostile takeover...


Also found in the parking lot, a recent edition of the Colorado Free University magazine... 

I didn't flip through it...


And with that, I got back in the car and ended my tour of the Colfax and York Arby's.


And with that, I took my last bite of big ass roast beef sammich.

I polished off the Mozzarella Sticks, and promptly fell into a food coma. Missing large chunks of the X-Files. I will also blame being awake for over 30 hours at that point, and the effort required in digesting, pushed me over the conscious edge...

So we went to bed...

*****


I do not recall where I found these coupons. They sadly do not exist in my collection. But I found them online, and would have kept a download for the coupons themselves.

But wait, there's Pac Man!


What a great deal!

Say... I just made my Arby's purchase earlier tonight, am I still eligible for a Pac man glass at 65 cents?


I am!?!?!?!


Sweet!

My mom picked this glass up for me from Arby's back during this promotion. 
Which according to the coupons, ended in November 1982.

I've kept my Arby's Pac Man glass ever since. It's been on display on my fireplace mantle since 
I moved into this apartment back in 2006.

Finding the promotional ad for it online a few years ago was an awesome coincidence!

*****

The end result of my Arby's?

Well, Arby's kept me from sleeping... 

The hot roast beefy goodness didn't cause any bowel discomfort. However, for the next few hours, I was vomiting up stomach acid, made worse when laying down. However, not sleeping led to some productive work on this story, and other projects I have going!


And you have to suffer for art!

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