KJ's Good Eats — Restaurant in Fruita

After spending 25 years in Fruita, having eaten at Camilla’s dozens of times, I can say the new owners have destroyed this business. We tried to call ahead at 9am on a Saturday morning - phone number doesn’t work; tried to reserve online - portal doesn’t work. So finally we just decided to walk from our home and arrived at like 9:20 on a Saturday morning to a nearly empty restaurant and one other couple waiting for a table. My husband waited outside with our dogs while I waited inside behind the couple to get seated. At one point, the older couple turned around and said “get comfortable, we haven’t been spoken to in 15 minutes.”

After ten minutes of waiting (again in a nearly empty restaurant) the older couple in front of us was finally lead to a table and I had assumed the server would come back to at least take our name for the list, apparently not. I waited another 15 minutes in the entryway before walking up to the countertop to look at the menu while I waited. The female server handed me the breakfast menu, didn’t say anything except “the other menu is lunch” and walked away. I kept waiting in the entryway until a man dressed in a chefs shirt came up with a notebook that had literally two crossed out names on it (the now empty waitlist I guess??) and asked if I had been helped. I said no and apologized for not calling ahead because the phone number was not in service. The chef(??) said “fine, how many” I responded that it would be two, my husband was outside with two dogs, so could we eat on the empty patio. The chef huffed, very obviously annoyed and said “it’ll be a wait, but fine” and stomped off. I mean genuinely like a toddler, stomped off and slammed the notebook on the counter. He didn’t even help the couple that was in line behind me.

I took the menu I was holding and went to wait outside with the dogs while my husband ran in to use the restroom. We then waited 20 minutes for anyone to come out to the table. We’re now 45 minutes into waiting for a table at a restaurant that maybe had six occupied tables including the ones in the back. I’ve been to camilas when it was absolutely slammed and we still had a seat within 20 minutes and had a server by 30min mark.

Point being, we’re now hanging outside with the pups and have already picked out what we’ll order for coffee and breakfast so that we can streamline the process. The chef then comes outside, opening the door so hard it smacks the brick they use to prop the door open, and walks up to us with two pieces of silverware. He stalks up and says “do you know what you want to order yet for drinks” as if he was waiting on us?? I said sure, can we get two waters and can I get a hazelnut latte?” I’m having a hard time finding the right words to describe how pissed off this apparently made him. He grabbed the food menu from us without giving A) my husband a chance to order a coffee or B) a chance for us to order food and said “yes but that will take a while” and walked away with so much fury we were astounded. He ripped the door open and literally just about shoved through the customers waiting inside for what I’m assuming is now an extensive line given they are apparently seating one table every twenty minutes.

After that, my husband who is like the chillest person on earth stood up and said we were leaving. My husband went inside and hailed down the male server (not the chef who was a total jackass to us) and told him to cancel the latte for outside so the server didn’t make it and waste it. The male server asked why and my husband told him that we were treated like such shit by the guy who came out to us that we didn’t even get a chance to order both coffees, much less breakfast before the guy took our menu and stomped off.

The male server asked who it was and when my husband pointed to the chef, the male server literally rolled his eyes and said he was really sorry we were treated like that and that behavior doesn’t surprise him at all.

We ended up order coffees and food next door at Aspen Street...

Camilla is no longer apart of the business as she was still when it was 'under new ownership!!!!!' and still driving the place into the ground.

Folks Chef James has Camillas Kaffe turned around! Chef please change the name!

I can't say enough about new owner Chef James changing Camilla's Kaffe for the better. Thee best Chef dining experience around by far.

KJs Kitchen dinner nights ARE BY FAR thee best special occasion/date night option from Vail/Aspen to Telluride! Your taste buds will be in shock. Real gumbo that's the best I've ever had, even after being stationedin Biloxi MS. Grass fed local beef cuts from CO ranches. Local Wines, beers, and saki pairs with dishes, sushi, and sour dough breads from dough that was started "way older than I".

Simply ask Chef James to surprise you and your date. It's a memorable experience. That's my best advice!!!!

It's worth it even if it's once a year and over $100 for 2! Anniversary and memorable date nights have found a amazing occasion to remember new memorable experiences together! Trust me there's nothing like it around with a Chef and table service that makes it all feel privately cooked for you and your date.

Word will spread about Chef James reinventing Camilla's Kaffe!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's building it, and has rebuilt it already!!! We will come! The atmosphere feels like a painting though a store front windows from the Saturday Evening Post. The romantic music seems to play from a surround sound AM radio speaker with your dates eyes sparking as she's listening to it watching your smile seeing hers.

P.S. A tip is NOW once again a form of gratitude for your foods taste, and the customer service one received from the Chef, waitress/waiter. It's NO longer a mandated charge before you ever have your first bite. UNlike the former owner of Camillas Kaffee and how Camilla treated the customer as they ordered and received their food from a counter top register before being seated wondering what just happened in disbelief of tipping being mandatory.

Once Again Folks: Tipping is NO longer pre charged here with the new owner! It should've been illegal when it was...

I felt compelled to write this review today based off of one thing, service...or should I say the lack of. We are local to Fruita and have eaten here many many times. The food is good, and the service used to be. The last two times we have eaten here as a family the service has been less than stellar. What used to be a cute little sit down restaurant is now a "self service" place to grab food along with some attitude from the waitresses. There is now a mandatory gratuity of 20% added to each check regardless of service. That extra $10 added to our bill today was way over what any waitress would have earned otherwise. When you order at a counter, are asked to take your own beverages and cutlery to a table of your choice, and then have to get your own togo boxes before leaving does warrant 20% gratuity. Tips should be earned based up performance. Furthermore, on our way out we were passing the kitchen and a two inch cockroach was crawling across the floor. Before I could snap a photo, Joey, one of the waitresses saw me and stomped her shiny black Dansko right on top it. She proceeded to stand there with her foot on it refusing to pick it up while I was watching. I was so furious after that I asked for her name, and the owner I am presuming, asked why I needed it... I told her for a review, and she immediately copped and attitude and asked "are you going to facebook." I now know why, as I have been reading through their latest reviews...I am sorry to say, but that will be the last time we dine there and I will not recommend it to others...