By Beecher Threatt
Ouray residents Chris and Taryn Lee and Tim Eihausen are planning to reopen one of Ouray’s landmark restaurants, the Bon Ton. To raise capital for the endeavor they have been promoting a fundraiser dinner to be held at the Bon Ton on the evening of Dec. 13.
On the afternoon of Dec. 4 they were informed by the health inspector that the restaurant did not pass inspection, so plans for the fundraiser are in limbo. No changes had been made as yet to the restaurant, since the October departure of Tim Tucker and Tyler Hill, who had run it since last December. Tucker and Hill cited a lack of backing from investors as the reason for closing.
Chris Lee related that because of the denial of the health certificate it will be “impossible to hold the fundraiser at the restaurant” and the group is looking to change venues or to hold the event at a later date.
“We’re doing the best we can to find solutions,” Lee said.
Eihausen and the Lees have an intertwined history with the restaurant. Eihausen started in the Bon Ton as a busboy around 1977 and went on to hold the position of executive chef for 17 years. Chris Lee started work at the restaurant the day after he moved to Ouray in 2000 and spent over seven years in many different positions. Lee’s wife, Taryn, grew up in Ouray and worked in both the Bon Ton and the adjoining St. Elmo Hotel.
The three had talked about reopening the restaurant and tried to think of ways to make it work. “We’ve all wanted to have some part in it and jumped at the opportunity,” Lee said.
The Lees formed an LLC called For the Love of Food, doing business as The Bon Ton. It is this entity that the group hopes will enter into a lease with property owners Dan and Sandy Lingenfelter. Monday night the city council granted a temporary liquor license to the Lingenfelters, which allows the restaurant to sell alcohol until the state issues a permanent license. Tucker and Hill, who have left town, held the license previously.
The group is planning on using proceeds from the fundraiser dinner to offset startup costs while getting up and running. In addition to the all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, they are offering special amenities for fixed price "donations." For example, for a $100 donation, diners will receive a bottle of wine and dessert with purchase of an entree, when the restaurant opens for business. It is not known whether the  Lees or Eihausen have formed a non-profit organization.
Flyers promoting the dinner and the donation offers were distributed and posted at local businesses. The Ouray Chamber Resort Association also promoted the event in a recent OCRA Chamber Chat email blast.
Money raised at the dinner will be “used as inventory and working capital,” Lee said.