Congratulations to Kelly Bennett and Guy Winzenread, new owners of Oscar’s restaurant, now carrying the torch for a business that was established over 40 years ago.
Mark Deitch purchased the Plaza Luncheonette in 1979, renaming it Oscar’s. He took the diner out of the age of bologna and white bread sandwiches, and brought a different kind of dining experience to Durango. I was hired in 1980 as a cook and also became the manager. Names of plates that were Mark’s vision remain on the menu today, including Tex Mex, Peak Out and Oscar’s Fan Club. Something that diners today would not know is that the County Road 203 omelette was named in honor of Ellen McConnel, a beloved waitress and part of our Oscar’s “family” who lived on County Road 203, had worked at the Plaza Luncheonette and continued on after Mark bought the business.
For the two years I was employed there until its sale in 1982 to Paula and Bruce Berg, we had a cast of characters working for us that is the stuff of legends, some of which must remain oral history. The bump-out dining in the parking lot, established in 1981, was possibly the first of its kind in Durango. There was even a brief time when Oscar’s offered Chinese cuisine for dinners only. Little did Mark Deitch know that Oscar’s was destined to become a Durango institution.
Here’s to keeping the character of old Durango alive!
Lisa Pedolsky
Durango
