In the past twenty years, the whole dynamic of Aspen has changed. What once was a town with a unique character is now a luxury playground full of high-end chains.
The businesses in Aspen keep the town running. Aspen used to be a town filled with affordable and local restaurants. Now you can’t even get a slice of pizza for less than five dollars. Since 2024, approximately fifteen restaurants have closed in Aspen, Colorado. Of these restaurants, approximately 85% of them closed due to not being able to afford the high costs of rent and maintenance. We can’t afford to lose another Red Onion, one of the few former long-standing local restaurants that Aspen had.
International, high-end businesses are able to afford rent; therefore, driving local businesses out. Most of these businesses simply want to have a name in Aspen. Tourists seeing high-end businesses in Aspen adds to the allure of what Aspen claims to be. What makes a town special are its unique local businesses, but for Aspen, tourists are now traveling to Aspen for the “luxury.” Not all businesses are luxury, which makes it hard for them to make a profit, and it’s unpredictable the number of customers they get and when.
Mi Chola, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Aspen, was open for nearly 10 years. In an interview with the Aspen Daily News, the owner, Darren Chapple, explains that if the restaurant were to stay open, the rent would have spiked from $42,000 to $85,000 a month. In recent years, it has been hard to continue running due to heavy competition and keeping up sales during the off-season.
Another local favorite, Mezzaluna, was open in Aspen for 37 years. In an interview with the Aspen Times, the owner, Deryk Cave, explained that it was getting harder and harder to run the restaurant due to rising competition. A new high-end restaurant, ZigZag, is open now and has replaced Mezzaluna. Mezzaluna is still open in Willits, where it has been operating since 2017.
The local restaurants in Aspen offer a contrast to high-cost luxury restaurants. Ask any long-time local about Boogie’s, and they’ll probably go off on a rant about the milkshakes and curly fries.
