It's no surprise to find something a little out of the ordinary in Fruita. The town is a gem in many ways and a destination for adventurers seeking prehistoric giants, mountain-biking "Mecca" and even a Springtime festival that celebrates the unnaturally long life of a beheaded rooster named Mike (in ordinary years).
Tucked into a corner lot on the east side of Plum Street where it meets up with US Highway 6 & 50 is a gem of its own called Quench! This little drive through soft-drink shop also has amazing cookies to go with an endless variety of soft-drink creations. Not only are the drink creations whimsical and startlingly enjoyable for combinations you may never have heard of before but you're almost certain to find a favorite and want one any time you're in the neighborhood.
There are names connected to mountain biking, local lifestyle, and geographic features; names that give a nod to classic cocktails and names that might make you go "huh?". Whatever you choose, prepare your tastebuds for and adventure. Some of the most popular are the PBR (Pepsi, blackberry, raspberry), The Soccer Mom (Dr. Pepper, strawberry and vanilla cream), and the Wicked Grin ( Dr. Pepper, raspberry, coconut cream). There's also Guava Have it, Coke-Appeli, Lemon Squeezer, and Cowboy Float just to name a few.
When Fruita entrepreneur Celeste Quarnberg opened this business she also wanted to help other local vendors to succeed. The lot occupied by Quench is also just the right size for a food truck or trailer kitchen to set up shop and offer hot, locally imagined cuisine just a few yards from the drive-up windows of Quench. These "food truck" owners reserve a spot at Quench and have the opportunity to be seen by the steady stream of Quench fans. Many patrons of Quench now seek out their favorite food-truck from one end of the valley to the other. Recently we sought out one of those we first tried at Quench and made the trip to Palisade just for their signature chicken, bacon, ranch, queso fries.
It's a fun trend that also works well with the need to "social-distance" for the time being. Drive through and outdoor walk-ups make it easy to maintain spacing and avoid common touchpoints like door handles in sit-down restaurants. With so many serious things going on around us right now, this fun and innovative business is a bright spot in the community that we feel should be congratulated for their success in a way that helps even more of the community get to know them. Want a refreshing change from convenience store soft drinks? This is a great place for just such a change of pace.
In case you also find yourself in the mood to satisfy a sweet tooth, the cookies at quench are every bit as rave-review worthy as the eclectic variety of ice-cold soft-drink creations. One regular patron said this: "It seems like the drive-through line there is never not-busy." The wait is similar to other drive-throughs where you might order a drink but patrons don't seem to mind waiting for a few minutes for their new favorite or a new concoction of their own devising.
We'd just like to say thanks for Quench-ing the community through this creative approach to refreshment and your commitment to enhancing the success of others.
If you haven't tried it yet you should also know, Quench operates Monday through Saturday.
Enjoy!
