By Suzanne Paulman
Red Dolly Casino restaurant server, Nikki
Red Dolly Casino in Black Hawk boasts one of the most popular restaurants in town for both locals and tourists. The hometown friendliness of the restaurant’s staff is one of the key reasons for its popularity and Nikki, one of the servers, is living proof of that friendliness.
Nikki is originally from California and eight years ago, when a girlfriend urged her to move to Colorado with her, Nikki did. Nikki laughed in recalling her first Thanksgiving with snow on the ground in Colorado. Now she really likes snow and can’t wait for winter and skiing at Loveland each year.
Shortly after arriving in the Denver area, Nikki applied for a job at Red Dolly Casino. She was called about a job on a Friday and was hired by the following Monday. Nikki’s been at the restaurant for eight years and truly enjoys working there. She works the morning shift and knows her many regular customers, cheerfully greeting them by name.
Nikki smiled in telling a story about one of her customers who was featured in the Winner’s Circle of Colorado Gambler. The customer had not told the restaurant’s staff about his win and they didn’t know about it until they recognized his picture in the paper. The next time their customer came in, Nikki and the restaurant’s staff celebrated his win by sticking his Gambler photo on his drink. Their customer was exceptionally pleased with his drink that day.
In a true love story, Nikki met her future husband at the Red Dolly restaurant. They both lived at the apartments above Central City at the time, but met at the restaurant. They were married at the Gilpin County Courthouse in Central City.
Nikki and her husband have shared a seasonal quest in the local area by looking for edible wild mushrooms. They were usually successful in picking mushrooms and have made their own mushroom soup. Her husband works in another casino in Black Hawk and they moved down to Littleton several years ago.
From Red Dolly’s menu, Nikki recommends the Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, and the grilled ham and cheese sandwich, trout or Big Dolly Burger for lunch. Of course, there’s always Red Dolly’s famous prime rib for $5.99 that is a favorite choice with her customers. Stop by Red Dolly Casino and say hi to Nikki in the restaurant. She’d love to see you and serve you one of Red Dolly’s famous meals.
