After decades of operation by the same family, the Millwood Junction has changed hands.
The new owner is William Lapin, who also owns the American Holiday Mesa Verde Inn in Cortez. The sale was finalized on Sept. 30, according to Glenn McCord, Lapin’s general manager.
“We knew it was for sale,” McCord said. “And we just decided to purchase it and keep everything original, keep everything the same.”
The Millwood Junction has been a Mancos staple since the late 1970s. It was built by the parents of previous owner JoAnn Riffel.
Before the deal closed, Lapin and McCord were in talks for about a month with Riffel, who was looking to retire and sell the business.
The new team plans to keep everything the same – with a few updates, McCord said. They have done some landscaping work on the property, set up a few television sets, added a few new items to the menu, and updated the kitchen and lighting.
But they plan to keep on the current staff, and leave the restaurant mostly unchanged.
“We love the heritage and want to keep it as it is,” McCord said.
ealvero@the-journal.com