New restaurant opens in Gunbarrel

Gunbarrel has seen what some might consider more than its fair share of triumphs and trials in the restaurant scene over the past few years, coronavirus aside.

That is especially true for the spot most recently known as Dannik's Gunbarrel Corner Bar in the Gunbarrel Shopping Center on Gunpark Drive.

In a Gunbarrel restaurant review blog in February 2018, Marc Rochkind wrote positively about Dannik's, saying, "There were a couple of previous restaurants in the Dannik's space, something like a southwestern grill, and a place called, I think, Bogey's. Dannik's is a clear improvement on them both."

Alas, Dannik's was quick to follow the fate of its predecessors, and closed abruptly in March 2019. It closed so abruptly that "there were still fries in the fryer" nearly a year later, according to the new restaurant owner in the space, Justine Greenlee. "It needed a lot of love," she said.

Greenlee, along with husband Rusty Greenlee, signed the lease on the space in December 2019, and began tidying it up to open the second location of their popular Erie restaurant, The Rusty Melon.

The Greenlees knew they'd be in for a slow opening in Gunbarrel, because they had to start from scratch with a brand new liquor license, which under normal circumstances can take several months. What they didn't know is that everything would be turned on its head in March 2020.

Still, the coronavirus pandemic only cost them about a month of extra time before opening. "Having amazing landlords blessed us," said Justine.

The Rusty Melon in Gunbarrel officially opened in June, and has been operating relatively normally for dine-in and takeout, at 50% of the coded capacity and with tables spaced at least six feet apart.

The Greenlees hail from Laporte, just north of Fort Collins. After decades in the corporate world - Rusty as a general manager of large corporate restaurants and Justine as a bank manager with a business degree - in 2018, they "randomly were like 'let's buy a business'" according to Justine, and they cast out looking for opportunities.

They founded their first restaurant in Erie in 2018, and built up a reputation and positive reviews, enough to have the confidence to open a second location.

The namesake, Rusty Melon, is a family nickname that Justine's family had named Rusty, but "actually had it hidden behind his back for years," she said. "Until finally one time it came out, and he loved it."

The Greenlees serve American comfort food at the Rusty Melon, and Justine said, "About 95% of our menu is scratch made to order."

"We're just very family friendly and laid back. We want to be the place where you go and you don't feel guilty sitting at your table for two hours, talking with the table next to yours," said Justine.

They want to be community oriented and, when the world returns to a little bit more normal, they'd like to sponsor local sports teams and get more involved in the community.

Justine's future plans for The Rusty Melon are ambitious, although the coronavirus has certainly had an impact in the short term. She said, "We hope to be here for a very long time. We hope to expand and have The Rusty Melon throughout the state and beyond. We'd like to have many."