Now you can take a seat at Little Anita's

Little Anita's has slowed down its frenetic fast-food pace in two metro Denver locations, where it is now offering full-service, sit-down dining. "We have eleven restaurants in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and that's how they do all of their restaurants down there," says Mike Ponzio, Colorado general manager and part-owner of...

By Shela Burgess

January 28, 2010

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Little Anita's has slowed down its frenetic fast-food pace in two metro Denver locations, where it is now offering full-service, sit-down dining.

"We have eleven restaurants in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and that's how they do all of their restaurants down there," says Mike Ponzio, Colorado general manager and part-owner of the five Little Anita's in this state. The other owners are Larry and Lawrence Gutierrez, who built the Little Anita's franchise from the ground up.

The Little Anita's at 5545 Wadsworth Boulevard was the first outlet in Colorado to offer the full-service dining already available in Albuquerque. "We actually converted the Arvada location on January 5," Ponzio says. "There were some little changes. We took down the quick-serve menu and we brought in a hostess stand and regular menus."

The big overhaul was at the new restaurant at 1080 US Highway 287 in Broomfield, which officially opened January 12. "The look is different, but you can still get it to-go and call-in or catered," explains Ponzio.

Over the coming months, he plans to add full-service dining at all the other Little Anita's in Colorado. And the changes won't end there. Next up? The owners "are planning to get liquor licenses," Ponzio says.

We'll drink to that.

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