The Swelling Sink

The local Boulder restaurant and bar better known as The Sink, has been flourishing for 94 years now. The Sink continues to profit massively every year, and has created such concrete support from the community of Boulder as well as prominent figures in the dining industry such as Guy Fiery. It’s not just the unbelievable food that keeps customers coming back for more. It is rather the community, the space the Sink has established as their own, and the many years of consistent service satisfaction.

There are several options of where to get food on The Hill in Boulder. You can get a taste of the everything from Himalayan food, to Japanese food and 7-inch subs sold on every corner. The Sink Restaurant has been the longest standing restaurant on The Hill, passed down for years since 1923 and considered a nostalgic landmark for many.

Once a European style restaurant known as Sumer’s Sunken Gardens from 1923-1940, the present owners– Mark, James, and Chris Heinritz, have been able to establish The Sink as a category-less restaurant, catering to different cultural foods at affordable prices. Chris Heinritz explained his vision in ’92 when the fate of the restaurant would be put into he and his brother’s hands; “I think we saw it for what it was, a really fun place, and a fun environment. It seemed like a viable business. Primarily we were looking for something, a job, a future for ourselves,” said part owner Chris Heinritz. I got the chance to sit down and talk with the part owner, and manager Chris Vowels. 

General Manager – Rich Vowels

What is it like to manage such a successful and well-liked restaurant?

A lot of fun. It definitely comes with different challenges than most would ever expect. You have a lot of a reputation on your shoulders but you try not to let that overwhelm you. It’s definitely a challenge to be here and uphold that 93, 94 years of history that we have, and trying to continue you it. It’s also hard to progress it. We want to continually be progressing it, we don’t want to just stay where we were. We want to continually be challenging ourselves, improving our food and all that kind of stuff.

Does the factor of tradition affect how the Sink is managed? If so, how?

Definitely. We want to keep our roots. The stuff that’s on diners, drive-ins and dives is still on our menu, so we want to keep that on our menu, that way were keeping that heritage; make sure that were always putting Llloyd Kavich‘s name out there for the artwork. Just trying to make sure that we talk to people about the history, because that is what makes us.

How did you begin working here?

I’ve only been up here for seven months now. One of the people who is our director of operations, he asked me to come out here and I had worked with him in the past. It was worth it for me to come up here, and once I came up here I just really enjoyed it. First you’re a little bit hesitant like I want to help a friend out, and now the culture has really enveloped me and now I’m part of the culture here.

What attracted you to The Sink in the first place?

I’m a Denver native so my dad went to college up here, so I have always known about The Sink. When I went to go to the Fox when I was younger, I would always come into The Sink.

How much of the restaurant do you oversee? What are your functions as the Sink Manager?

I oversee pretty much all day to day operations. From the financials, to running the floor, to helping out in the kitchen I kind of have my hands in a little bit of everything.  

Owner—Chris Heinritz

What prompted you and your brothers Mark and James, to take over this traditional, historic restaurant? What did you envision during your purchase?

We’ve changed a lot of things over the years, we think of it more as evolving than changing. We’ve tried to remain true to what made the Sink an institution, and so in that respect hopefully it’s still recognizable, and people tell us that it is. People who came here 40, 50, 60 years ago they still come back and it still feels like they remember so that’s the important thing, is to maintain that feel in here. and we still have the Sink burger, and the pizza. but for the most part everything else has been tweaked a bit.

Did you ever think of changing certain things up? If you have, what aspects and why?

We think of it more as evolving than changing. We’ve tried to remain true to what made the Sink an institution, and so in that respect hopefully it’s still recognizable and people tell us that it is… That’s the important thing, is to maintain that feel in here.

How did you come up with the infamous Ugly Crust Pizza and the Buddha Basil Pie?

We inherited the concept from the previous owners. Boulder was a little hippier friendly in the 80s and 90s. 

In the summer of 1995, The Sink added 18 draft beer lines and an upgraded kitchen. Was this a decision made because it was necessary? Or was it decided as a means to improve the overall quality of the restaurant?

The building was built in the late 1890s, and so the plumbing was from that era. The craft beer movement was beginning. It a win win, draft is a better product than a craft and we have better selection.

How has this addition improved the overall attraction of customers to the sink?

It made the bar more efficient. I think it was pretty grungy place. There was no fresh air in the building so putting in a whole new ventilation system. Brightened it up, freshened it up, I think it made the restaurant much more appealing to a broader audience of families or older folks, people who didn’t want to feel like they were eating in a bar.

In 2006, The Sink committed to being green by running on 100% wind power. Other efforts include: composting, low-flow water fixtures and energy efficient light bulbs. How has this transition to energy efficiency affected your local business?

In the end it saved us money, from a marketing stand point, Its an admirable thing to show dedication to the environment. We do what we can to ensure we can be.

I understand in the 1920s when the sink was first established as Summer’s Sunken Gardens, the cuisine consisted of solely European food. How has the menu expanded from this time? What other kinds of cuisine are available at the Sink?

It totally is different. Earliest menu we have is from the 1940s; An extension of what we acquired in 92.

The West Flanders Brewing Company restaurant was opened by the Heinritz brothers as well in 2012, on pearl street. How is running this new restaurant different from running such a well-liked and admired restaurant that has been alive for over 90 years?

The big challenge for us with West Flanders was we were inventing a new concept. Whereas at the sink we think of ourselves as custodians of the Sink more than owners. Here at The Sink, our customers explain to us what The Sink is in a way, what it means to them. At West Flanders it was kind of the opposite, we have to explain it to other people which is a change for us. 

The Heinritz brothers intend on preserving The Sink restaurant and community landmark for as long as possible. 

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