Rocky Mountain Food Report: The Wobbly Olive Expands With A Westside Location & New Culinary Lead

The Wobbly Olive is set to open another location in January 2018 at 2611 W. Colorado Ave. The second installment finds a home in the historic district of Old Colorado City, Colorado, right next door to TAPAteria and across the street from Jake & Telly’s Greek Taverna.

“We have been looking for the better part of two years and we never went into a place that had the bones and the heart we were looking for,” says Sean Fitzgerald, co-owner of The Wobbly Olive.

Fellow owners, Inez Fitzgerald and Phil Arana agree that it finally feels right and the lease was complete within four days of seeing the space. The concept for the restaurant will remain the same as their other, original establishment on Powers Boulevard and simply be “the Westside Wobbly Olive.”

With the expansion also comes the new hire of well-known chef Supansa Banker to oversee the culinary arts for all of their businesses.

“The moment I sat down with her I wanted to hire her,” says Sean Fitzgerald. “This gives her the opportunity to wear different hats with The Collective: A Social House, our neighborhood bar, to The Wobbly Olive which is more eclectic and outside of the box.”

Banker recently left 2South Food + Wine Bar and as of this week begins training in the kitchens with The Wobbly Olive and The Collective employees.

“I want to understand the food first,” says Banker. “I want to see what needs my attention and what needs work as I learn the staff. If you don’t know the problem you can’t fix it. The place is very cool so I want to bring up the food and the menu so it lives up to it. I’m so excited to see change. It’s already good now, I just want to make it better.”

The owners are well aware of the culinary jewel they have snapped up and plan to give Banker free reign to design the menu.

“She can really flex her creative muscles,” says Sean Fitzgerald. “She brings a lot to the table in terms of her patience, her employee management, her inspiration and the way she blends flavors together is insane. We’re very blessed to have her.”

Years in the making, owners have been eager to push their brand city-wide. With The Wobbly Olive in the central corridor, an Eastside “come as you are” watering hole, a downtown speakeasy in Sakura, and a twin Wobbly coming to OCC, they have a firm stake in Colorado Springs’s food and beverage scene.

“When we found the right location and the right chef it was amazing how easy everything was,” says Sean Fitzgerald. “Everything that’s happening now is so organic.”

91.5 KRCC is partnering with The Rocky Mountain Food Report to present stories from their website about previews of new restaurants, updates on longtime favorites, dinners, pop-ups and more as they cover the Pikes Peak region’s food scene.