Five Reasons Why Steamboat’s Should Reopen Downtown [OPINION]

Steamboat's Steakhouse will be serving their last supper tomorrow night. The popular Cheyenne restaurant is closing after failing to negotiate a new lease with their landlord. According to their Facebook page, Steamboat's is looking for a new location. Here are five reasons why they should consider reopening downtown.

1. Downtown Cheyenne is getting cool again. The future doesn't look bright for retail stores, which could dramatically change Dell Range Boulevard in the coming years. Meanwhile, there are encouraging signs of life downtown.

2. So somebody will finally take down the Los Abuelos sign. The historic building on 1601 Central Avenue has been vacant since the Mexican restaurant closed in 2016. Although it's been empty for two years, it remains one of Cheyenne's most prestigious locations and the building is large enough to accommodate a place like Steamboat's. And the sign would look much better.

3. Tourists are looking for a wild west experience downtown. There's a reason why The Wrangler has been in business for 75 years. The western-themed concept at Steamboat's would play well to visitors and locals alike and would fill a void in the downtown district.

4. Wyoming's Rib and Chop has proven that downtown restaurants can succeed. For several years, the pervasive attitude was that downtown dining establishments were doomed to fail. Then, the Rib and Chop house came along and changed the game.

5. So the 307 Throw Down can get famous. Since Man vs. Food premiered a decade ago, food challenges have helped put restaurants, and cities, on the map. Steamboat's boasted one of the most daunting culinary contests in the country, inviting guests to devour a 72 oz. sirloin, three cornbread muffins, a house salad, cowboy beans, a loaded baked potato, three bacon-wrapped shrimp, and an ice cream sundae in less than an hour. It has never been conquered.