Spencer Davis had a gig building decks, patios and outdoor kitchens in Dallas when his dad called him with an offer that would uproot his life. 

His father, Jeff, learned to make homemade mac and cheese, and he’d perfected the craft enough that he was looking into opening his own restaurant, according to the call. With a former Starbucks storefront still available in River Run Village at Keystone Resort, his father had both a concept and a potential place to house it, too. 

Spencer said he spent three weeks considering the offer. He thought it might be nice to get a break from constructing decks in Texas’s 115-degree summers, so he said yes.  

The two soft launched Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy for the Keystone Bacon and Bourbon Festival in late June before fully opening the first week of December.

Customers walking into Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy will find a customizable macaroni and cheese bar and, further in the back, a speakeasy-style bar. 

When it came to furnishing the space, Jeff said he wanted to revive a piece of Summit County that’s sorely missed by locals.

“Our stools in the back in our bar — and other items we have — are from Arapahoe Cafe, we wanted to keep the good mojo (alive),” he said.

After Arapahoe Cafe closed its doors in October 2023, the owners held an auction, and Jeff purchased numerous items, he said.

Jeff, who spent a majority of his career in healthcare, had no experience running a restaurant and said the Pierce Family, who owned Arapahoe Cafe, were helpful as he navigated the process. 

Luckily, Spencer had experience working in the restaurant industry, so the two weren’t going into the experience completely blind. 

The namesake of Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy is Jeff’s father and Spencer’s grandfather, Grover. 

“Back in high school and college, his friends called him ‘Groovy,’ which is ironic because he’s not necessarily groovy,” Jeff said. “He was in the Glee Club.”

Jeff describes his stoic father, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, to be a fairly quiet man with a sharp sense of humor who never really participated in “hippie culture.” He said Grover loves Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy and continuously hands out promotional stickers to friends and strangers, despite living all the way in Texas.

Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy offers macaroni and cheese with twists inspired by bites like pizza and jalapeno poppers. Among the Davis’s favorite is Spencer’s five-cheese “Yellow Belly” mac and cheese with cheddar, gruyere, gouda, jack and mozzarella. There are both gluten-free and dairy-free substitutes as well.

The restaurant also serves breakfast, with offerings like Texas toast sandwiches and breakfast burritos.

The bar in the back of the restaurant is called “The Hideaway” and has cocktails, local beers and wine. The space can be rented for private parties.

Breakfast options at Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy range from $6 to $10, and soups and chili cost $8. Mac and cheese offerings, which include family-sized portions, range from $7 to $48.

Most days Groovy’s Mac n’ Cheesy is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but Spencer said they will stay open later if people are still at the bar. It is located at 140 Ida Belle Drive in Keystone in River Run at Keystone Resort.

More information can be found at GroovysMacnCheesy.com/menu%2Forder-here.