Getting Mimi's and JOE'S seen

The plan in one minute

The problem. Both shops are open and the food is landing, but people driving by can't tell. The fence sign reads "closed," nothing on US 50 shows we're here, and Mimi's has been quiet since it reopened.

Three moves

1. Be seen. OPEN flags, a fence banner, a topper by the Fri/Sat sign, and the two LED boards.
2. Say what's open. One weekly calendar for all three businesses, and the Roadhouse shows posted for the next 8 weeks.
3. Go get customers. Office lunches, college team meals, coupons, and December events.

What we decide in the meeting

• A go-live date for the US 50 LED board.
• The fence banner and the topper by the Fri/Sat sign.
• Ace Hardware lot test days for the trailer.
• The Roadhouse calendar: shows posted, and Mimi's on the hours block.
• Team meals: after-hours and short-notice stops, invoiced by Delta Roadhouse.

How to use this page

• On a phone, swipe or tap a tab to change section. On a computer, use the list on the left.
• Search the whole page from the box at the top.
• Tap + Notes to add ideas, questions or concerns as we go.
• The Print center tab has every PDF with a link to open, print or copy.

Print center

Every printable piece is here as a PDF. Tap Open, then print from your browser or phone (Share, then Print). Tap Copy link to paste a link into an email or text.

Printing tips

• Use letter size, color if you can. Print the handout double-sided.
• The one-pager, office lunch sheet and coupons look best in color.
• Coupons: 10 to a sheet. Cut along the dashed lines.
• The postcard is 9 by 6 inches. Ask the printer to add the address and postage. The UPS Store in Delta prints up to 11 by 17.
• On a computer: open the PDF, then Ctrl+P (Command+P on a Mac).

All links in one block

Copy all links

Meeting agenda (62 minutes)

Goal: leave with a go-live date for the LED board and a name and date next to every action.

Bar width is minutes. The gold block is the open floor.

The handout has space to write answers beside each LED question, a timeline to fill in, yes/no boxes for each sign and menu decision, and an owner-and-date list for next steps.

Open floor: ideas, suggestions, grievances

Communication is the point. Roadhouse, Mimi's and JOE'S all get the floor. Say what's working, what isn't, and what you need from each other.

What the notes are

The + Notes button (bottom left of this page) opens a shared notebook for the meeting. It follows you as you scroll, so you can write a thought the moment you have it, without losing your place.

• Everyone sees everyone's notes. Each note shows who wrote it, when, and which section of the report it was about.
• Five types: idea, suggestion, concern, question, action. Pick one, write the note, press Add.
• Ask questions and answer them. A question stays Open until someone answers it, then shows Answered. Anyone can mark it Resolved when it's settled, and reopen it if not. The filters show open questions, answered, resolved, or just yours.
• Use your name. It's stamped on your notes and answers.
• Copy all, Email or Print gives us one list at the end, grouped by type, with answers and statuses.

Open the notes now

To get us started

• What is working right now?
• What are customers telling you about us?
• What gets in your way day to day?
• What would you start, stop or change?
• What do you need from me, and from each other?
• Is there anything we haven't said?

Quick fixes first

Ordered by how much visibility each one buys for the least time and money. Do the red ones in the next three days.

Shared calendar: holidays, events and open days

Everything we know is on one calendar: holidays, Broncos Sundays, community events, our plan milestones and Roadhouse shows. Nothing after 31 Oct is posted on the Roadhouse website yet, so the Roadhouse rows are empty until we add them.

Weekly rhythm

Holiday hours to decide

Our normal pattern is Tavern Fri and Sat, JOE'S Sun to Wed, Mimi's every day except Thursday. These dates fall inside it, so each needs an answer. Once decided, we post Google special hours and a site notice.

Signs, flags and banner

What we have

Flag options

Pricing found online (not quotes)

Banner printing

Miles, could your wife's printer make the fence banner? About 3x10, 13 oz vinyl, hemmed, grommets every 2 ft, maybe a few wind slits. It would say MIMI'S, JOE'S, OPEN with a turn arrow. I'll send the art and pay cost. And are you OK with it on the tavern fence next to the Roadhouse sign?

To Roadhouse

I'm not asking to take the fence sign down. The Fri/Sat hours are right for the tavern. I'd like a topper or a banner beside it that says Mimi's and JOE'S are open today, so a driver sees both messages.

Delta Roadhouse: open days and events

Everything we do for JOE'S and Mimi's works better if the Roadhouse itself is easy to understand and always has something on. Right now the fence sign says Fri and Sat, and the Roadhouse website's Music & Events page lists nothing after Saturday 31 Oct. A visitor sees no reason to come on most days.

What the Roadhouse says today (its website, 2 Nov)

Open days and who's open

Ideas to put more reasons on the calendar

What I'd do first

1. This week: Roadhouse posts the next 8 weeks of shows, and Mimi's goes on the hours block.
2. Next Thursday: the first "This week at the Roadhouse" email and post.
3. Before the holidays: a holiday party and team event package on the private events page.
4. Pick one slow-night test (trivia or open mic) and run it for 4 weeks.

Coupons, offer sheet and mailers

Three print-ready pieces are built. Each has a QR code that carries a tracking tag, so we can see in the web stats which piece brought the order. Coupons also have the code word BAG for the window.

Rules to keep

• Each coupon works only at the business named on it. JOE'S and Mimi's are separate businesses. A card that points next door is fine; a shared discount is not.
• The $2 and $1 amounts are proposed and may change before printing. Prices on the office sheet are the posted menu prices, and the crew prices are 8 and 12 times $12.
• A partner business that carries coupons gets a thank-you, not a cut. Ask what they are comfortable with first.
• We count the BAG codes weekly so we know what's working.

Asking a business to hand out coupons

Athletic team catering

The idea: college teams traveling through Delta stop at the Roadhouse courtyard for lunch or dinner, in one place with room for the whole group. We sell to the athletic department (travel and operations), with a special team menu and a pre-order. A few stops a week fills slow nights.

Why this could work

• Delta sits on US 50 between Montrose and Grand Junction. Teams from Gunnison, Durango and Alamosa heading to Colorado Mesa (and Colorado Mesa teams heading to those schools) likely pass through. This is my reading of the map; each school's travel office can confirm.
• A group needs one stop that handles everyone: parking, hot food in minutes, and room to sit together.
• One order from one contact (the department's travel or operations person), invoiced to the department.
• It fits our empty nights. Teams on return trips Sunday and midweek game trips Monday to Wednesday land on the days we want more traffic.

Who to contact, in priority order

Tier 1 and 2 contact names are pulled (in my private copy). Tier 1 first. Miles leads the introductions and can find the right contact at most places, so he decides who gets contacted first. As a backup, I've pulled the operations, business and director contacts for the four Tier 1 schools from each school's public staff directory, and Joe can hand that list to Miles and Kristi so nobody emails the same person twice.

When teams actually stop

Opening on our closed days for a team is a decision for Joe and Roadhouse.

The pitch, in five lines

1. On US 50, easy to find, with room for the whole travel party.
2. Order ahead and your team eats hot in minutes. No waiting on a menu.
3. One contact and one invoice for the department, from Delta Roadhouse.
4. Meal packs built for athletes, from post-game burgers to pasta and rice bowls, boxed and ready on time.
5. Local, family-run, and we work around your bus schedule: any day, any hour by arrangement, even late night.

What it could add: a what-if

Hypothetical only. Revenue before food, labor and fees. A kitchen that did about 124 plates on its biggest night should take one large team per service until we see how fast we can serve. Fried items cap out first.

At 45 people and $15 each, one team a week is $675, two a week is $1,350, three a week is $2,025.

The space and the extras

Teams get more than a meal stop. Delta Roadhouse offers the whole campus, even after hours:

• Seating and gathering space: the courtyard, the back patio and indoor seating for the group.
• Parking for the bus and cars, and restrooms.
• Mimi's Sweet Treats: ice cream and desserts for the team, and the arcade.
• Meals from JOE'S (Chef Joe) and Mimi's on the team menu.
• After-hours and other days: late-night arrivals and days we're normally closed, by arrangement.

Team meal packs

Meal packs: built around the fryer limit

Past about 25 people the fryer is the bottleneck (fries, Bang Bang Chicken, Bang Bang Shrimp). So team meals are packs that run on the flat top, the stove and the cold station, with chips instead of fries. Fried items stay as an add-on for smaller groups. Chef Joe approves every pack so quality holds at scale.

I set pack prices after costing each one. None are set yet. Count the box, utensils, napkins and drink in the cost.

Group size playbook (thresholds to test)

Ways to add capacity without losing quality

• Move the load off the fryer. Chips, grilled sandwiches, bowls and pasta use other stations.
• Batch what holds well. Rice, pasta, sauces and salads can be made ahead. Fries and smash burgers can't, so they stay made to order.
• Try partly cooking fries ahead and finishing them fresh on a staff meal. Keep it only if the fries still pass your standard.
• Box the order. Labeled boxes hand off fast and travel on the bus. Offer a courtyard sit-down for groups that want it.
• Set a pickup time and a cutoff. A large group orders by a fixed day and gives a final count.
• Ask about a second fryer. Whether Roadhouse's kitchen fryers can be used, or one more fryer on the trailer, is a decision for Roadhouse and me. Roadhouse, what's available?

Quality standard for team packs (Chef Joe)

• Burgers are smashed to order. No pre-cooked patties.
• Fries are fresh and never held or re-fried. If the fryer can't keep up, the pack gets chips.
• Pasta and rice are kept hot at a safe temperature and served within a time limit Joe sets.
• Bowls and sandwiches are built close to pickup, within a window Joe sets.
• Chef Joe approves every recipe, portion and price before it goes on a one-pager.
• Test each pack on a staff meal first, then a 20-person group, then 30.

Fryer capacity check

Enter your real numbers. The starting values are placeholders, not measurements.

Team bookings and emails

How a booking works

1. Find the trips. Use Colorado Mesa's home and away schedules and each school's schedule page to see who travels US 50 and when.
2. Reach the department (operations or travel first, not individual athletes) with the one-pager and a short email.
3. Agree the stop: date, arrival time, headcount, menu, invoice details.
4. 3 days out if possible: final count and menu. Short notice is fine; call to check we can do it.
5. Day of: they text an ETA. We have food ready, a table area, and bus parking.
6. After: thank-you note, invoice, and an offer for the return trip and the next season.

Emails you can send (edit before sending)

1. First contact: operations or travel at the department

2. Follow-up, 5 to 7 days later

3. After a visit

4. Charter bus company or transportation office

5. Phone or voicemail script

Charter bus companies to approach

I did not find a Western Slope charter company that advertises team travel. The names below are leads to call, not endorsements. The most reliable route is to ask each school's travel or operations contact which carrier they use, and ask Miles who he knows.

Unlimited Charters has many templated Montrose pages with unverified reviews. I left it off.

Images for the one-pager and emails

All photos are our own, from the site: the trailer and courtyard, the Double Smash Meal, the Gochujang Chicken Salad, and the burger and trailer hero. The one-pager uses the courtyard, the double smash and the salad. The tavern photos stay out because teams include players under 21.

Things to settle before the first send

• Roadhouse: how the tavern is kept separate when a team includes players under 21, especially after hours. This ties to the liquor license boundary between the businesses.
• Other days and late hours: settled: yes, by arrangement. Still to set: a minimum order for days and hours we're normally closed.
• Pricing: cost and price each pack, set the group minimum, and decide what the drink is.
• Invoicing: settled: Delta Roadhouse invoices for the space and events using the Chef Joe and Mimi's menus. Still to do: W-9 and tax-exempt paperwork for schools. Colleges usually have their own forms; ask each department.
• Rules: we sell to the department. Don't offer extras or discounts to individual athletes, and don't message athletes directly. NCAA and NAIA rules apply to the school, so ask each school's compliance office if unsure.
• Health department: ask about catering for groups from the trailer and any pre-game pasta or soup, before we put them on the menu.
• Capacity: the fryer sets the limit past 25 people, so large groups get packs (see the playbook). Start with one large team per service.

Menu ideas: more lunch, more dinner

Goal: give a working person a reason to come on a weekday, and a family a reason to order ahead. The test is small, pre-order only, and reuses what the kitchen already makes.

Lunch

Dinner

How to test it without risk

1. Pick 2 soups, 2 sandwiches, 1 salad. I cost every plate before pricing it. No prices are set yet.
2. Run it 2 weeks, Mon–Wed, pre-order by 10 AM, with a daily cap so lunch speed holds.
3. Add the items in Clover (the JOE'S MENU category). That is Delta Roadhouse's Clover account, so tell them first.
4. Judge it on orders per day, groups of 3 or more, and what's left over. Keep what sells; drop the rest.
5. Check with Delta County Public Health before launch: soup, hot holding, cooling logs, and packaged food.

Food trailer events: calendar, cost, forecast

Most 2026 listings are not posted yet. Where I only found last year's date, I say so. Attendance numbers are my planning estimates (low confidence); organizers rarely publish them, so ask. JOE'S is closed Thu to Sat, so Friday and Saturday events cost no regular days. Sunday to Wednesday events do.

Holiday parties at Delta Roadhouse

Companies, clubs, churches, families and teams are planning holiday parties right now. Delta Roadhouse already hosts private events (weddings, quinceañeras, corporate events, birthday parties). A holiday party package adds food from JOE'S, desserts from Mimi's, the arcade, and live music if the group wants it. Delta Roadhouse invoices for the space and the event.

Space fee and per-person food prices are set after costing. None are set yet.

To settle with Roadhouse for holiday parties

• Capacity for the tavern, courtyard and back patio, and tables and chairs.
• The space fee, deposit and cancellation terms.
• Bar options and how the license boundary works for a private party.
• Live music or DJ costs and which December dates are open.
• Which JOE'S packs and Mimi's desserts go in each package, and their prices.

How a holiday party booking works

1. The group calls or uses the private events form with a date, headcount and ideas.
2. Delta Roadhouse sends a quote and holds the date.
3. The group picks packs and desserts. Final count 3 days ahead if possible.
4. Party night. JOE'S and Mimi's serve, and Delta Roadhouse invoices once.

Who to pitch, and when

• Pitch now through the week of 16 Nov. December fills first on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Start with the lunch outreach list: offices, banks, clinics, schools, city and county, plus clubs, churches, leagues and athletic teams.
• Lines to use: "A party with food, dessert and an arcade, in one place along the river." "One call and one invoice." "We work around your date."

Pitch email (edit before sending):

Calendar timeline

What it costs to attend

• Health paperwork, Delta County: a 2025 vendor form listed $50 per vendor per event; the county page says licensed food trucks still file a vendor survey for each event but pay no added fee. Confirm with Delta County Public Health, (970) 874-2168. Mesa County runs its own process for Grand Junction events.
• Event fee: $50 on Delta's Cinco de Mayo form; $300 on a Montrose festival listing. Others unknown.
• Your own costs per event: food, labor, fuel or generator, ice, packaging, and a possible insurance certificate (ask each organizer).
• Capacity: the kitchen did about 124 plates on the biggest show night. Plan around 120 orders per event.

Ace Hardware lot test

The lot is available on Mondays and Tuesdays, or any mix of your open weekdays. Better access and a sight line from the road. Treat it as a test.

LED boards and the meeting

Delta Roadhouse owns the large LED board on the post marquee facing US 50. It's up and waiting on electrical and programming. Our own marquee is ready and needs a spot, power and mounting. The meeting sets dates for both.

The ask: 30 minutes this week to set dates for finishing the LED sign on US 50. It is up and waiting on electrical and programming. Once it is running, it lets people on the highway see that Roadhouse, Mimi's and the trailer are open. I want to leave with who is doing each step and a go-live date, and I will bring a plan for what we would show on it.

Milestones

Milestones

What I need from you

Delta Roadhouse

1. A 30-minute meeting this week to set dates for the US 50 LED board: electrical, programming, permit, go-live.
2. OK to hang a banner on the tavern fence, and a topper or banner beside the Fri/Sat sign saying Mimi's and JOE'S are open today.
3. Where our second LED marquee can be mounted and powered (fence in front of Mimi's, or the roof).
4. Your thoughts on the Ace Hardware test days (Mondays or Tuesdays), since the trailer would be off the courtyard those days.
5. OK to add any new JOE'S menu items in Clover before the soup and sandwich test starts.
6. The next 8 weeks of shows and events, posted on the Music & Events page, plus Mimi's added to the hours block.
7. Your view on a slow-night test (trivia, open mic or a locals night) and on opening the tavern for Broncos Sundays.
8. A holiday party and team event package on the private events page.

Mimi's team

1. Share the "Mimi's is back at 209 Ute St" post and ask regulars to share it.
2. Put the bag cards and coupons in every bag, and watch for BAG codes at the counter.
3. Offer a counter sign-up (name and phone or email) so we can reach people next time.

Reply with what works and what doesn't. I'll update the plan each week.

Sources and how sure we are

• Events: Delta Area Chamber (checked 2 Nov: still shows the 2025 parade date), Delta County Tourism, December 2026,Visit Grand Junction, KJCT on the 2023 parade, Delta County temporary food vendors, Paonia Cherry Days vendor form.
• Dates marked "2025" are last year's and unconfirmed for 2026. Crowd sizes are my estimates. Flag and banner prices are advertised prices, not quotes.