'Hip, healthy cafe' replacing traditional cafeteria at GoG Visitor Center

'Hip, healthy cafe' replacing traditional cafeteria at GoG Visitor Center

Feb. 27, 2018
       From hamburgers to hummus. From cafeteria to café.
       The kitchen and eating area at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center are undergoing a renovation for a new type of establishment, opening in mid-March.
       It's called Bean Sprouts. Shannon Seip and Kelly Parthen started the business 11 years ago, and they now have cafes in 12 tourist

Bean Sprouts features "Imaginibbles," a children's menu that focuses on nutrition and unique food arrangements on plates.

Courtesy of Bean Sprouts

attractions in four states (mostly California). The slogan is “a hip and healthy café serving family destinations.”
       Organic nutrition is the focus, augmented by a children's menu featuring unique food arrangements on plates. Examples are the “Do-Re-For-Me” (a sandwich that looks like piano keys) or the “Under the Sea-Za” (a pizza with black olives, red peppers and olives laid out to resemble fish swimming).
       Adult items on the Bean Sprouts menu include “Hum Diggity” (an avocado hummus spread with vegetables and yogurt) and “Mona Cheesa” (melted mozzarella and feta cheese with spinach and artichoke). A pepperoni pizza is available too, although the crust is “sub gluten-free,” the menu notes.
       Located at 1805 N. 30th Street, overlooking the famous city park, the Visitor Center is owned by the Garden of the Gods Foundation.
       For most of its nearly quarter-century, the center has run a cafeteria for visitors, providing such traditional fare as burgers, hotdogs and chili.
       But when Parthen (a Colorado Springs resident) came to the center with an offer, it seemed like a chance to “give renewed energy to our restaurant,” said Jan Martin, foundation president.
       Contracting instead of self-managing reduces the responsibilities for center staff and should also be a “financial gain for us,” she predicted. And, Martin added, “We hope some locals will drop by and try it.”

Westside Pioneer article
(Outdoors: Garden of the Gods)

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