Owners Holly Olson and Rob Citto wanted to create their new business venture in Yampa to be more than just another food option. They are hoping The Flat Tops Cafe will become a South Routt gathering place.

“We recognized a need in this community, especially in Yampa, for not just another food option, but for a place for people to gather — that’s our motto, our tagline, I guess,” Olson said. “Our goal was creating a place for community to come together, and for people that maybe haven’t seen each other in a while to run into each other and then, of course, have a good meal.”

The Flat Tops Cafe, located at 70 Moffat Ave., Suite A, is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday through Monday.

“We do breakfast and lunch,” Olson said. “Primarily we do specialty coffee drinks and freshly baked pastries in the mornings, and then we also do things like biscuits and gravy, biscuit sandwiches, burritos and things like that in the mornings. Then at lunch, we offer hot and cold sandwiches, salads and those kinds of things.”

On Wednesday evenings, the Flat Tops Cafe opens its doors for special events.

“We just started doing some Wednesday evening events where we are offering different menus” based on the type of event, Olson said.

The Flat Tops Cafe had a soft opening in late-April and hosted a grand opening last week. The new owners are excited to move into the summer season.

“Our main goal from day one has been to create a welcoming environment where the community can naturally gather, visit and feel at home,” said Citto in a news release. “Whether you are a Yampa local grabbing your morning coffee or a visitor heading out to explore the beauty of the Flat Tops, we want to provide great food options and a space that keeps our community connected.”

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Citto and Olson have lived in the Yampa area for the past two years and spent the year before that in North Routt. Citto brings 30 years of restaurant experience and has worked in both the Steamboat Springs and North Routt areas.

“This is our first restaurant together. We have another business together that we do recruiting and consulting, but for this one, (Citto’s) background is very much in the culinary area, and my background is in business psychology,” Olson said.

Two months into the new business venture, Olson said the Flat Tops Cafe has been well received in the community and is looking ahead to the return of visitors coming to the area to embrace the natural beauty found in South Routt.

“We are just really trying to add something to this community — something that we would want, and that we do want here,” Olson said. “The community has kind of taken to this place and is using it as that gathering spot.”