Heck's Tavern — Restaurant in Colorado

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, CO for a site visit where our company plans to host its annual manager retreat. Concluding our tour of the property and rooms, our host treated us to lunch at Heck's Tavern.

The architectural design was inspired by the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood in Oregon. The floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the middle of the room is quite spectacular. The hexagonal shape of the restaurant makes for many panoramic views while dining.

The menu features several ranch to table options including their own Wagyu beef. I tried the BBQ Wagyu Ranch Burger which was topped with onion rings, BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese. The burger was awesome; juicy and flavorful! In lieu of fries, I ordered the salad as my side dish. It came with a creamy lemon parmesan dressing that was very pleasing. $22 might be hard to swallow, but since my meal was comped and it was so tasty -- swallowing was not an issue. But honestly, for hyperlocally raised Wagyu beef amdist absolutely stunning views, I would highly recommend it! Note: one doesn't necessarily need to stay at the lodge to visit this restaurant. They are also open for breakfast and dinner. If you are in the Winter Park...

This place is incredible. Chef Maggie does an amazing job with the food and it saddens me that it’s received such negative reviews. The service was exceptional and we had a wonderful time.

My issue? There were SEVERAL people coming to the bar making requests and responding unkindly when it took more than 5-10 minutes for the staff to fulfill those requests on a very busy night. Where I come from, that’s standard and considered great service because each guest was taken care of and not made to wait for over 8 minutes.

The staff is 5 star. Kind, hard-working and accommodating. It’s the guests that need to step up. I’m a travel advisor and my husband and I travel for work, and I have never been anywhere where the guests have been so incredibly rude to the hard working, talented individuals that keep this place running smoothly. This ranch is priced fairly and well staffed (considering it’s the slow season) when comparing it to the surrounding competition AND to the industry in general.

We will always recommend this gem to anyone looking for an...

Beautiful setting, but ridiculous service. We waited 30 minutes to be acknowledged. Then waited another 30 minutes to get our soft drinks. (One of them flat). We couldn't figure out what was taking so long for a simple beer. We then walked up to the bar to ask for one. Got back to the table when the waiter showed back up letting us know they were out of clean glasses for the beer. We showed him the plastic cup we got from from the bar. 2 burgers were ordered. At $26 each!! One was very dry and tasteless. By the way, the food came an hour and 20 minutes into our seating and after we went up to get our own beer. We never did get the fizzy flat soda replacement. The spinach dip and Brussel sprout appetizers were delicious. The next night at the other resort restaurant, an employee told us that place is referred to internally as "Hectic Heck's". Food prices at this resort should be illegal. But they have you trapped because you are in the...