O’Furry’s Sports Pub & Grill (and, by extension, its sister business: The Omelette Parlor) are staples of Colorado Springs lore. The space that is O’Furry’s used to be the barn house of Ruth Etting, a popular Folies singing star of the late 1920s, while the Omelette Parlor was her actual house. The floorboards have stayed the same and likely hold many stories in them.
General Manager Susan Whitlock has been with both restaurants for nearly 30 years. “This building was home to a famous entertainer. It was originally her house. We have done some maintenance but there’s a lot of history to this building,” she says. “But the maintenance on it is tough, I’m not going to lie, because it’s so old. But it just has that charm because it was a house and has hardwood floors.”
She says people ask her all the time: “Why don’t you expand?” Her response is that it wouldn’t be the same because people come for the old, crickety floors. “You have to just leave some stuff alone.”
In many ways, it is the same approach with many food items that people have come to love, especially the double dip wings that O’Furry’s is famous for. Whitlock is proud that they have won gold for best wings year after year from both the Gazette and the Colorado Springs Independent. “That’s a huge honor because there are a million restaurants and bars that serve wings and we actually got top place [for the past few years].”
The Popularity of Double-Dipped Wings at O’Furrys Sports Pub & Grill
At O’Furry’s, Whitlock explains, they serve both spicy and mild chicken wings, but they also offer the double-dipped chicken wing. “The wings are dipped in spicy wing sauce and then into teriyaki sauce. And then they’re put on our grill. It’s just an amazing wing.” Whitlock says that it is something that makes them stand out. “So, yeah, we can definitely not change the wings.”
There are plenty of other items on the menu that jump out of course. “So, the Jiffy burger is fun. That’s Jiffy Peanut Butter with a burger, which is really popular.” The Thunder Humper Burger incorporates their homemade pork green chili. But even the regular cheeseburgers, she says, sell well. O’Furry’s also has a Burger Madness special that Whitlock says they’ve had since the place opened, which is $1 off on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The key with any local hangout though is to make it your own, especially as the customer. “People love to go crazy and kind of put their own spin on stuff, which is fine. Obviously, we’ve had to change things up as the years have gone by because I feel it’s important to add things that customers are wanting.”
She mentions the real big pretzels they have which people love to dip in the beer cheese. The same goes with the Drunken Irish Nachos, which are covered with the same beer cheese.
Whitlock says she started the business because she didn’t want to work for corporate. She was in college at the time and the hours were great because she could be out in the early afternoon (she worked at the Omelette Parlor), take evening classes, and still make a living.
Encouraging the Community Feel
O’Furry’s at its core is a pub. Whitlock cites Laughing Lab from local Bristol Brewing as one of their more popular drafts. “But again, we go for what our customers are asking for.” O’Furry’s has 17 lines of different beers but, “We’re definitely a Budweiser bar, I feel.”
That familiarity encourages a community feeling. “O’Furry’s definitely has that vibe. Customers know each other. The bartenders get to know everybody.” There are always activities. Monday and Wednesday they have a poker night. Tuesday is open mic night. Thursday night is karaoke. Friday nights they have live bands. And Saturday night is a DJ.
Whitlock says poker nights are always fun. “I think it’s around three tables. A lot of the same people [always] come.” Pike’s Peak Poker puts it on. “And we’ve been doing this for years. It really brings in a big crowd of people.”
All these possibilities bring in a different crowd every night and give people something different to do. “Because you don’t have to go to a bar to just drink. You can go in and eat and sing. And we also have a good lunch crowd, too.”
Keeping Busy with Great Customer Support
Since the pandemic, Whitlock says the O’Furry’s seems like it’s just doubled. She admits it was a tough couple years staying open, just doing takeout. “But our customers supported us. We made it. And we’re just so busy … and we’re thrilled that we’re busy.”
She says that during the pandemic, “I really feel that a majority of people found us again through the takeout. Because that’s what we were. And it was such a thing that people were wanting, that you could take us home and still feel satisfied.”
The success of O’Furry’s, she explains, comes down to having a bit of wiggle room for operation with a down-home feel. “I think that being an independently owned-type restaurant, we’re able to do that. We’re not having anyone above us telling us what to push or what to market. And I’m really able to ask like, ‘What are people asking for? What are people wanting?’
This was a very inciteful article. Thank you for writing it.