📋Restaurant Winners & Warnings 🥾Hike 🌄Veterans Free 🐄Ranch Foods

Issue #25-311 11/7/25

Author

Sandy Zuniga
07 Nov • Reading Time: 19 minutes

COS Town Tidings #25-311

Gmail will truncate so 📖 READ ONLINE

🤣 Today’s Chuckle

📰 Veterans Get In Free Nov 11 🌄

📰 Ranch Foods Gives Back - SNAP 🐄

📰 Food Safety Restaurant Winners & Warnings 📋

❤ Free Meals During Shutdown

Recipe: 🧇 Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

📅 FEATURED EVENTS! New Sneak Peak - Baked Goods!

📆 Local Events + Concerts, Holiday Fairs/Festivals

⛅ COS Weather - Partly cloudy, average temps and breezy

Recreation: 🥾 Quick Hike, Big Waterfall Views

 

Remember when frozen waffles were a big thing?

👉That sure was a while Eggo. 🤣

Laughing Out Loud Lol GIF by Minions

 

 

🌄 Veterans Get In Free Nov 11

To honor those who serve, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is offering free entry to all state parks on Veterans Day (Tues, Nov 11) for veterans, active-duty military, and National Guard members. No special permit is required—just show proof of service at the gate.

Vehicles with Colorado Disabled Veteran or Purple Heart plates already qualify for free access all year. CPW also provides a variety of other ongoing outdoor benefits for veterans, including lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for qualified disabled veterans, a free annual Independence Pass, and free park access in August. This is one way the state says "thank you" through the healing power of Colorado’s natural spaces. Full Story

 

Baskin Financial Planning

 

🎟 Introducing the Colorado Springs Town Tidings VIP PASS, a FREE digital wallet pass you can easily add to your Apple or Google Wallet. Exclusive Deals will show up in the VIP Pass on Sat!

Be the FIRST to receive EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area—delivered straight to your phone. (Click image below to find out WHY I created this for you!) 

 

🐄 Ranch Foods Gives Back - SNAP

Ranch Foods Direct is offering a simple but meaningful way to support families facing food insecurity: a free pound of 80% lean ground beef per visit for SNAP recipients—or for anyone who needs a little help putting food on the table. No strings attached, no questions asked. You can stop by either of their Colorado Springs stores (on Town Center Dr or E Fillmore) Mon through Sat, 8am-6pm. The offer is ongoing, with no end date announced. It's one more example of a local business putting people first and showing that small acts of generosity can make a big difference. Full Story

 

🤝Local Kindness in Action: Free Meals for Fed Workers at Poor Richard’s Restaurant🍕

Free Meals for Fed Workers at Poor Richard’s Restaurant

💞*GoFundMe set up if you want to contribute to help feed our local furloughed workers. Just one $60 donation will feed a family of 4, all inclusive! Anything leftover will go to Care And Share in COS

❤️ Shutdown Support from Sandy’s Restaurant

Shutdown Support from Sandy’s Restaurant

Sandy’s Restaurant, (6940 Space Village Ave) is offering free meals to kids in need and take-home meals to SNAP recipients and government workers during the shutdown. Just ask or show proof—no judgment, just help.

 

Nature's Start Bread Company

🍞 Fresh Baked Sourdough breads, pastries 
📍3312 Austin Bluffs (Inside The Cupcake Doctor): 
M-Sat, 9am-6pm & Sun, 10am-2pm
(Seasonal Items Added)

 

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📋 Food Safety Restaurant Winners & Warnings

Health inspections are in, and while some restaurants are shining with top marks, a couple of local spots have some serious cleanup to do. These inspections are a reminder that even popular places can fall short of the basics, like food safety, cleanliness, and proper storage.

Aiki Sushi & Ramen

🚫 These restaurants need to clean up their act. Failed, re-inspection needed

  • Ola Juice Bar (1025 Garden of the Gods Rd Ste A)

    • No certified food safety manager present

    • Improper handwashing, pest issues (fruit flies), and unsanitized equipment

    • Low sanitizer levels and poor food storage practices

  • Aiki Sushi & Ramen (4359 Integrity Center Point)

    • Failed two inspections in a row

    • Unsafe food temps, poor storage of raw and cooked foods

    • Missing handwashing access, unsanitary thawing, unprotected food display

    • Re-inspection scheduled and multiple issues pending correction

🥇 Top Scores! If you ever needed a reason to feel proud of a local diner… King’s Chef Diner on 110 E Costilla St, just got a perfect score!

King’s Chef Diner on 110 E Costilla St, just got a perfect score!

✅ Other High Scores:

  • Bonefish Grill (5102 N Nevada Ste 100)
    – Only 3 small violations

  • Four by Brother Luck (321 N Tejon)
    – Just 3 minor concerns

  • The British Pantry (2403 W Colorado Ave)
    – Just 2 minor issues

  • Jaks Taphouse (7715 Dublin Blvd Ste 160)
    – Only 1 violation

Health inspection results across El Paso County are available online for those wanting to check their favorite spots.

*Note: Most local restaurants take food safety incredibly seriously. In fact, many owners respond to violations swiftly and thoroughly, often making fixes the same day while they wait for reinspection. 

 

🧇 Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

Recipe by mommypotamus

Did someone say breakfast?! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these waffles are infused with the unofficial flavor of fall – pumpkin! Grab your pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree and prepare for deliciousness.

 

🌟Pendleton Heating & Cooling

😍 Best HVAC Local Company
🚫 Don’t Let THIS Happen To Your Furnace!

 

Federal Government Shutdown Resources in Colorado Springs

 

Colorado Springs Town Tidings Podcast

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Wild Birds Unlimited COS

 

Have an event to share? Reply and let me know (include link)

📆 Sample Local Events

🎶 Fall Concerts - Weather permitting

🤶 Holiday Festivals, Fairs & Activities

 

Colorado Springs Weather

 

🥾 Quick Hike, Big Waterfall Views - Silver Cascade Falls Trail

Silver Cascade Falls Trail in North Cheyenne Cañon

Photo by Jennifer on AllTrails

Looking for a quick outdoor escape that feels like a big adventure? The Silver Cascade Falls Trail in North Cheyenne Canyon is calling. This short and steep trail starts right at Helen Hunt Falls and climbs just under ¾ of a mile to a rocky overlook where water spills down gleaming granite. You’ll pass not just one, but two waterfalls along the way—making this little hike feel like a double win.

There are stairs and switchbacks, but it’s kid-friendly and manageable for most. In fact, one local mom said her 3-year-old handled it like a champ, with plenty of places to pause and soak in the scenery. With cooler weather setting in, now’s a great time to visit before icy patches start to form.

This is one of those trails where even a short outing leaves you feeling refreshed—and reminded of just how lucky we are to live near such natural beauty.

Location: 3440 N Cheyenne Canyon Rd

 

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Disclaimers: All content deemed accurate at publishing. Independent of local entities. Aims to inform, connect, entertain. Updates on website version.