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Local cafe makes Tivoli new home
By Allison Bailey
abaile19@mscd.edu

Photo by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu The Daily Grind’s longtime spot in the Tivoli will be filled this semester by locally-owned Cimarron Cafe, which will host open-mic nights and poetry readings.

Before the winter break, it was all but certain that the Tivoli’s on-site catering company, which is owned by Sodexho, would take over the spot previously inhabited by the Daily Grind. But as of Dec. 1, 2006, Cimarron, a small, privately-owned company, was awarded the bid.

The cafe plans to open Jan. 15.

Shaun Lally, the UCD chair of the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board, said Cimarron was selected by a committee of two SACAB representatives from each of the three schools at Auraria, as well as three representatives from the Auraria Higher Education Center. The final decision was entirely up to the student representatives, Lally said, and the AHEC representatives were there only to ensure the process was done correctly and that there were no legal problems.

The committee had certain criteria in mind, including social responsibility and a willingness to work with student groups and contribute to the campus community, Lally said. He said Cimarron specializes in fair-trade coffee to protect the well-being of coffee growers in underrepresented parts of the world. The company also discourages the use of plastic foam cups, plans toimplement a recycling program and is willing to install a dishwasher and use real dishes instead of paper plates.

“It was primarily the quality of what they are,” said Teb Blackwell, tenant relations coordinator with the Tivoli’s Student and Auxiliary Services. “SACAB made the selection and went back and had each of the potential bidders present a little meeting that had samples of their food. They opened the floor to questions, and it just seemed like this was the company that the committee liked the best.”

Some other factors contributing to the selection of Cimarron were the prices, the menu, the quality of the food and that they could be up and running by the time students returned to campus for the spring semester. The cafe is also willing to host poetry readings and open-mic nights.

“We wanted students to be able to have something to do after hours, and Cimarron said that as long as there was business, they’d stay open,” Lally said.

“We want to become the local hangout,” said Maria Portelli, Cimarron’s general manager at the Tivoli location.

Cimarron is an independently owned company that has been in operation for three years. They have two other Denver locations.

“These people seemed more organic,” Lally said. “They seemed more excited about working with students and making it a cool place to hang out than with profit margins.”

The cafe serves a lot more than coffee and pastries, Portelli said. It will have a grill, which means it will be able to offer more complete meals, and is also in the process of applying for a liquor license.

“This is probably our biggest location so far,” Portelli said of the Auraria contract. “We’re very excited to work with students.”

The week before the cafe opens will be spent decorating and painting.

“The aesthetic part will be totally different,” Portelli said.

The new decor will include a big-screen TV, a stage area and better lighting.

Cimarron is still in the process of hiring staff, and Portelli expects to be working on staffing until the end of January.

Cimarron is still in the process of reviewing its contract with Auraria, but the deal should be finalized by Jan. 10.

Though the Daily Grind chose not to renew its lease in 2007, it left a lasting impression on the campus as a friendly, independently owned company.

“Hopefully this group will have the same warm feeling instead of a cold corporate thing,” Lally said.