By Lauren Lifke
After a series of negative health inspection reports, Greenside Cafe is closing down, making room for its Cedar Crest neighbor, Trail Rider Pizza, to acquire a larger space.
Trail Rider Pizza manager Chris White said the restaurant has been wanting to move into the Greenside space for several years, and after Greenside’s final closure about a month ago, Trail Rider prepared to trailblaze in.
“We don’t really have a patio on our current space,” White said. “With the new space — with the larger space — it has two big patios with gates around them, which means that we can get that permitted.”
Several calls to Greenside Cafe yielded an automated response that the number is no longer in service.
On Aug. 20, Greenside was shut down temporarily due to dangers that could get patrons sick, records show. The health inspector observed expired and rotten food in the walk-in fridge, dirty ceiling vents, water dripping on open food, insufficient hair coverage and improper chemical storage, according to the report.
The cafe was under new management, according to the report. White said Trail Rider Pizza had some negotiations with the old manager to take over the space in March, but a new owner ultimately bought out Greenside Cafe. The new owner had been involved for a few weeks in August when the health department arrived for the inspection, White said.
On Aug. 23, Greenside passed a follow-up inspection and reopened, despite some remaining issues. The inspection showed that the staff lacked food manager certification. There were also some improperly dated food items, but the cafe ultimately passed the inspection and was allowed to reopen.
White said after the Aug. 23 inspection, he was working a shift next door while deliveries were arriving, and that’s when Greenside Cafe employees told him that it was closing permanently.
For now, Trail Rider Pizza is still open and operating out of its current space, White said. The next goal for the restaurant is to get alcohol permits to allow service in the Greenside space.
“We’ve been kind of maxing out on our current space for quite a while, honestly,” White said.
The Greenside space also has a larger kitchen and dining room, which can allow for larger parties than the Trail Rider space currently allows.
“We’re happy to be expanding in the community, and look forward to many more years ahead,” White said. “We wish them all the best. We’re looking forward to getting new restaurants out here. That’s why we’re not looking to keep our current space — we’d love for more restaurants to come out to these mountains.”
