When Danielle Welcome first walked into the empty restaurant space on Main Street with building owner Rusty Guilio, she knew it felt right.
“I could visualize the future,” she said.
Two weeks later Welcome opened the Elkhorn Bistro in the space. The restaurant began a soft opening Nov. 19, and despite early challenges, the turnout has been strong.
Boulder residents have long struggled with limited local dining choices – and this adds another option. Welcome’s timing is excellent, given that Mountain Good will be closed from before Christmas through early February. For nearly six weeks, the Elkhorn Bistro will be one of the only breakfast options in town.
“Breakfast is definitely a thing here,” Welcome said, noting that in the first week she served more than 50 customers daily. “I didn’t do breakfast in Idaho, lunch was my thing.”
Welcome’s restaurant experience began in St. Maries, Idaho, where she operated the 3B Grill for several years. That venture started with a food truck but quickly outgrew its mobile limitations thanks in part to Welcome’s popular chicken teriyaki.
“I couldn’t keep enough food in the truck,” she said. “It got too busy.”
She found an empty building behind a local bar, opened a commercial kitchen there and eventually sold the successful business to one of her employees before moving to Montana.
“I’m always in pursuit of a small town with mountains,” Welcome said, explaining what drew her to Boulder. “I’ve never not been waved to here. Everyone is so welcoming. It was not the same in Idaho.”
A local friendship helped revive the restaurant space. Before Welcome opened for business, her husband befriended a few locals who’d lost their gathering place when the Elkhorn Cafe closed in February 2023 after 23 years. The group, including Larrey Lattin, had been meeting there for more than 20 years and were left to get coffee at the Town Pump or in Basin.
When they found out Welcome had run a restaurant in Idaho, they told her Boulder needed one too. Now, those same locals are back, gathering each morning at two round tables in the back of the restaurant — tables that have been in Boulder for generations.
“They’re the reason why I even opened up,” Welcome said. “When they found out I had a restaurant in Idaho, they were like, ‘We need that.’”
When Welcome found the original Elkhorn Cafe sign in the building, she knew she had to hang it again.
People still lovingly referred to the building as “the Elkhorn” even when it most recently housed the Sweet Spot, Welcome said, and locals were delighted to see the original sign hung again. She chose “Bistro” for her business name instead of “Cafe” – which was still legally tied up – to honor the building’s legacy while distinguishing the new establishment.
“I think that it makes people happy because they’ll never not call this building the Elkhorn,” she said.
The menu reflects Welcome’s Idaho roots while incorporating new breakfast items. Signature dishes include the Mac Attack – a hamburger topped with macaroni and cheese – and her famous chicken teriyaki. She also serves breakfast burritos all day, crispy chicken sandwiches, chicken bacon ranch and loaded french fries with pulled pork.
“I like having fun with food,” Welcome said. “When the Mac Attack comes out, it is a presentation, not just food. It’s overflowing.”
The community response has been enthusiastic. On her first Sunday, four diners liked their meals so much they ordered the same dish to go after eating.
“I found that as the biggest compliment,” she said.
One customer, Ray Lagerquist, who lives between Boulder and Basin, ordered eggs and sausage during the restaurant’s first week. “I think it’s great,” he said. “I used to come here quite often a long time ago.”
Brandi DeMers, a Boulder native now living in Jefferson City, jumped at the chance to work for Welcome.
“As soon as I saw the post on Facebook, I thought it was perfect,” said Demers, who previously worked as a server at the Elkhorn Cafe before it closed. The coincidence of returning to serve in the same space wasn’t lost on her.
Despite the warm reception, Welcome acknowledges she’s still working through opening challenges. She’s currently juggling roles as owner and full-time cook while building her team. She recently hired Misty Munoz as the front-of-house lead and is training a new cook.
“This was the soft launch,” she said. “I definitely saw some flaws with it, but I’m excited to keep trying until we dial it in.”
She’s working with food distributors to stock the kitchen and plans to install a commercial dishwasher and upgraded coffee equipment. The quick opening threw her a bit, she admitted, but the immediate need in the town made it worthwhile.
“There’s a need, and if you build it they will come,” Welcome said.
Welcome also values honest feedback from customers. “Constructive criticism is always a good thing,” she said. “This restaurant is the community’s. I love the fact that people are so comfortable when they walk in the door. It makes me very, very happy.”
“The round table in the morning definitely tells me what they do and don’t like,” she said with a laugh.
Looking ahead, Welcome hopes to support other community causes through the restaurant. She’s considering installing a bulletin board to highlight animals available for adoption at the Animal Shelter and Care of Jefferson County.
“Animals are definitely a passion of mine too,” she said. “It’s such an important thing to have in the community.”
The Elkhorn Bistro is currently open every day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch. Once she has enough staff trained, Welcome plans to expand hours to include dinner service – another gap she’s identified in the dining options.
For now, Welcome is focused on perfecting her menu and building her team. The restaurant continues to fill up each day, demonstrating the clear need for more dining options in Boulder. The breakfast menu will continue evolving, but the lunch offerings, her Idaho tried-and-true favorites, remain solid.
“I would love to be able to talk to the people,” she said of her hopes once the kitchen is fully staffed. “I will never leave the kitchen, but I would love to also be able to talk to them.”
