Lola's Place, located at 725 East Second Ave. in Durango, is changing up its operating model from a full-service restaurant to a bar and event venue. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)
Lola's Place, located at 725 East Second Ave. in Durango, is changing up its operating model from a full-service restaurant to a bar and event venue. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)

Lola’s Place in Durango is taking on a new form.

The business, which is part of the Leland House hospitality campus located on East Second Ave., shifted from a full-service restaurant to a patio bar, live music and private event venue in May.

The campus includes Lola’s Place at 725 East Second Ave., boutique hotel the Leland House at 721 East Second Ave. and the Gather Room at 723 East Second Ave.

Owner Tonya Ensign said the change was made for several reasons, including the Lola’s property, which began as a small 1890s-era residential house, having been “pushed to its infrastructure limits” as a full-service restaurant.

The family-owned business wanted to move away from a “high-volume transactional restaurant business” and toward a slower paced, more personal model like that of the Leland House, she said.

“We realized our strengths are best aligned with hospitality, events, and curated quest experiences,” Ensign told The Durango Herald in a written statement. “The Leland House is an intimate, concierge-style boutique hotel. We know our guests by name. We help them plan hikes, bike rides, train excursions, ski trips, and celebrations that create lasting memories.”

Lola's Place owner Tonya Ensign said the business is moving away from a “high-volume transactional restaurant business” and toward a slower paced, more personal model like that of the Leland House. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)
Lola's Place owner Tonya Ensign said the business is moving away from a “high-volume transactional restaurant business” and toward a slower paced, more personal model like that of the Leland House. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)

Ensign said some changes and adjustments in the family, including some health problems having arisen, she and her husband having recently become grandparents and her husband having retired from his corporate job, also informed the choice to shift the Lola’s Place model.

Ensign’s husband, Chuck, son Alec Ensign Martinez and son-in-law Dominic Ensign Martinez, all run the business together. Ensign and Chuck’s other son, Lukman, is the building and grounds manager.

“Like each evolution of Lola’s over the past several years, this transition was driven by both market opportunities and our own vision for the property,” Ensign said.

Lola’s Place previously opened at 7 a.m. and served classic offerings like breakfast burritos, eggs, bacon and pancakes alongside Mexican-inspired dishes like breakfast quesadillas, tacos and huevos rancheros. Now, the business operates 4 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and now only serves drinks and some appetizers during Leland House Hosted Music Nights on the patio.

Lola's Place has adopted a new operating model as a bar and event model in a move away from being a “high-volume transactional restaurant business,” owner Tonya Ensign said. Menu offerings currently include charcuterie plates, Zia chips and salsa and “Salmon Stackers,” but offerings will change periodically, Ensign said (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)
Lola's Place has adopted a new operating model as a bar and event model in a move away from being a “high-volume transactional restaurant business,” owner Tonya Ensign said. Menu offerings currently include charcuterie plates, Zia chips and salsa and “Salmon Stackers,” but offerings will change periodically, Ensign said (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)

Menu offerings currently include charcuterie plates, Zia chips and salsa and “Salmon Stackers,” but offerings will change periodically, Ensign said.

Rental rates for Lola’s Place, which includes both the patio and the interior area, range from $900 to $2,900 for a four-hour block, depending on factors like the season and the number of guests at an event, Jennifer O’Donohue, director of sales and business development, said.

The cost includes use of the space, including the tables and chairs, and the assistance of an on-site event coordinator.

Prospective event hosts can also rent out the indoor Gather Room next door, either on its own or alongside the Lola’s Place space, Ensign said. The Gather Room’s rental rates are $40 per hour, $200 for a half day and $390 for a full day.

Ensign said some customers have expressed disappointment about no longer being able to grab a meal at Lola’s, while others have said they’re excited about the new opportunities the business has to offer.

“We miss the food too,” she said. “I mean, we probably ate more of it than anybody, and it was delicious. … Some people are really bummed out about that – not being able to get their favorite burrito here. Other people have said things like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to miss the food, but I’ve got other options.’ … So, they’re thinking more about ‘Wow, what could I do here now? Now I’ve got a place to come for music that’s very relaxed. It’s super chill. It feels private. It’s off Main.’”

The new model has allowed Lola’s to collaborate with more local musicians and business owners, she said.

“We’re excited to partner with local breakfast spots on figuring out how we can all be synergistic and help each other out,” she said. “There’s an opportunity for that now that we didn’t have before. … So many people are excited to partner with us.”

Rental rates for Lola’s Place, which is shifting from a full-service restaurant model to a bar and event space, range from $900 to $2,900 for a four-hour block, depending on factors like the season and the number of guests at an event. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)
Rental rates for Lola’s Place, which is shifting from a full-service restaurant model to a bar and event space, range from $900 to $2,900 for a four-hour block, depending on factors like the season and the number of guests at an event. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)

Ensign said she and the rest of the family are excited to have more opportunities to bring people together through Lola’s Place and the Leland House campus.

“We’re going to miss the burritos, but wow – look at what we’ve got now. It’s even better in other ways,” she said.

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Lola's Place, located at 725 East Second Ave. in Durango. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)
Lola's Place, located at 725 East Second Ave. in Durango. (Elizabeth Pond/Durango Herald)