Colorado's Prime Steak — Restaurant in Sanford

Before I start this review I have to say this is not the place I fell in love with. It took 15 minutes to get drinks another 25 minutes to get our salads and bread service the bread used to be amazing now it’s like they took bag rolls and warmed them up and sprinkled cheese on them the salad was chopped by a toddler very few toppings the lettuce was wilted and watery we ordered one rare 16oz prime rib that was barely warm poor quality end cutting I ordered a loaded baked potato and it was tiny and to call it loaded is a LIE! It was loaded with cheap butter and Walmart shredded cheese and definitely microwaved the skin was so hard you couldn’t eat it we also ordered 16 oz ribeye that was LESS THAN 1/2 inch thick and looked like it was bought at aldis half of that steak was well done and the other side was medium The garnishes looked liked they pulled it off a previous guests plate wilted! The wall hangings were dusty the floors were greasy the booths were not well spaced one side was two feet away while my side was a squeeze to sit in and when you sit down you sink into broken booths and the walk to the bathroom was a look into the drama between kitchen and wait staff apparently there is some sort of love triangle going on. The bathrooms were dusty and dirty and had a peculiar smell. At the end of our dinner we had to wait another 20 minutes to get the bill. While I was waiting a large man was making rounds to the tables in a fishing shirt, asking how their dining experience was he went to a table right beside us that had just been seated and asked how their service was but when I waved at him he ignored me and piled himself back at the bar. Not only do they not care or want to hear how my experience was the manager only cared about getting back to the bar. I ordered a crown on the rocks and it was watered down and not a full shot I guess that large man in a fishing shirt wanted the liquor all to himself I used to tell everyone to go here and now I’m ashamed that I have referred people to waste their money here. Whatever you do do not waste your time or money here The parking lot was strewn with trash and cigarettes the landscaping was trashed Fine dining no don’t expect anything fine dining experience except for the cost now that was on point Expensive aldis meat I wish I had of taken my first thought while waiting 20 minutes for my watered down drinks and left such a waste of hard earned money please don’t make the same mistake as I did DO NOT EAT HERE YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED THIS PLACE HAS BEEN RODE HARD AND PUT UP WET! Cheap horrible excuse and a horrible example of a Colorado steakhouse they should be forced to change the name I used to love this place and now I will not be back the uncaring nature of the fisherman I can see why he asked people who hasn’t eaten yet how they were doing he obviously is aware of the rip off this place is and to top it off our waiter was filthy and when you order water with your meal it is tap water and tastes like true Florida...

We showed up late on memorial weekend and had just checked into our hotel. We were told by the hotel staff to give it a try. At first we didn't have the greatest things to say as it took us over an hour to get our food. We had my daughter..who was tired and ready for bed but hadn't yet had dinner. Waiting an hour wasn't great for any of us. We asked our waitress to just wrap up the food and we would take it to go.. The waitress was visibly disappointed and it was clear that she was upset that it had taken so long to come out of the kitchen.i still don't know what took so long ..but I will say that our server and the food were top notch..I guess sometimes..that's just how it goes. It can't be perfect all the time. Upon finally getting our food, we were admittedly frustrated but I guess it didn't go unnoticed! As we were preparing to pay the tab, a man walked up to our table and asked to see the ticket. Confused, we handed it to him..still a bit frustrated and not realizing that this was the owner of the restaurant. He very quietly crumpled up the tab and tossed it aside as if it were a magic trick of some kind. He said" I noticed that it took a really long time for your food to come out and I am terribly sorry for that...please take it with you ,one me" I honestly didn't expect that AT ALL! And was still a bit confused but we accepted and left the waitress a large tip. Once back in our hotel and with my daughter cozy and happy...we dug into the dinner finally. It was delicious! So good! I definitely recommend this place on the food alone but the thoughtfulness of the owner and the friendly wait staff also are worth noting! Sometimes things don't go as planned and that's just life. It was so nice of them to hold themselves accountable and go the extra mile to make it right. Honestly..I would have left a good review just for the owners apology..and the fact that he had noticed. Our waitress was really friendly, hard working and did her job well so I wouldn't have blamed her and after tasting the food...well even if the cook had been the reason for the delay, I would have forgiven them! Thank you so much for the great meal and service! Btw, we ate at the owners other restaurant for breakfast the next morning and it was equally delicious. It also went off without a hitch! No waiting involved lol! The other restaurant was called Mel's diner, run by his son, who we had the pleasure of speaking with, and it was located literally next door to our hotel so .. Couldn't have been better! We were only in town for one day and ate at 2 of this mans restaurants...that's both funny and worth noting! Very good ..all the way around! Thanks for feeding us for our trip to...

I'm heartbroken at seeing the decline of this Sanford staple of more than 3 decades. Dwayne Pratt (the founding owner) passed away last summer and his wife partnered with new owners and it is no longer the same restaurant that brought in regulars and kept the same staff for 30 years. Most of the old staff left when the new management took over, and I can see why. It's nothing like it used to be. There was a busboy wheeling a cart around the restaurant all evening, which made a lot of noise and was pretty gross. It felt like we were at a cheap diner. The owner was walking around to tables in a T-shirt and Crocs; the wait staff were dressed more professionally than he was. When my water was low, the server refilled it from another glass (spilling water on the table) rather than bringing me a fresh one or even refilling it from a pitcher. Buster, the focal point of the bar, has been moved off to the side wall and replaced with big screen TVs. The bar area used to be a place for people to talk but now it just looks like a sports bar rather than the gathering place it once was.

What made Colorado's special is now gone. The people that helped Dwayne build it, Jeff, Ruben, Veronica, Pete, Jesse, and Anne have all left or been fired. Most of the regulars have stopped going there. No more homemade croutons, dressings, soups, or fresh fries. Our server told us that the owner increased the quality of the steaks but we couldn't tell the difference. What my husband and I did notice was the decrease in the quality of the service and atmosphere. What used to be a welcoming and friendly restaurant felt more like a roadside diner at steakhouse prices.

I have been a regular customer of Colorado's for 20 years, worked there for 3, and have celebrated many occasions there, including my rehearsal dinner. I cried at the table last night remembering what it once was, and cried again as I left knowing I would never return. Please stop pretending this is the same restaurant that we have loved for 30 years and just change the name altogether. You aren't carrying on Dwayne's legacy; you are ruining it. Let Colorado's go and just rebrand instead of destroying it. It's disgusting how the new owners are stealing the reputation that Dwayne built and not even honoring the service and ideals that mattered...