The Lost Cajun, a Louisiana Cajun restaurant that started in Frisco in 2010, is expanding to Salida.
Burl Gibson and Annette Dickinson, Houston, Texas, transplants to Buena Vista, and Gibson’s sister and brother-in-law Sarah and Nick Elchos of San Antonio plan to open a franchise of the restaurant at the former Seasons Café building, 1110 U.S. 50.
Nick Elchos will be the main manager of the restaurant, and the plan is to hire 20-25 workers for the business.
The Elchoses are looking for a home in the area.
Gibson said he and his wife drove all over the state looking for a place to settle and decided on Buena Vista.
Jon Espey, company president, said Gibson and Dickinson had eaten at the Frisco location and enjoyed it.
They began to talk to the owners about a franchise. They were familiar with the Buena Vista and Salida area and thought the restaurant would be a good addition to the area.
“It’s not another burger joint or pizza place,” Espey said.
The founder of the chain, Raymond Griffin, is originally from Barataria, La., and opened his first restaurant in 2010 in Frisco. That was followed in 2012 by a second location in Breckenridge opened by Griffin and Espey. The restaurant chain has eight locations open in Colorado and several more in Texas, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Salida and Westminster will be the newest locations in Colorado.
The menu features Southern-style dishes including fried catfish, Louisiana gumbo, po’boys and beignets.
Espey said with the in-and-out traffic through Salida, especially with summer recreationists, fall hunters and winter skiers, and the fact that Salida has become known as a “kitschy cool mountain town,” the company thought it was a good fit too.
A deal on a property in Buena Vista fell through, but when the old Seasons Café property became available, they set their sights on Salida.
Gibson said they hope to have the restaurant open in mid-April.
