Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery officially closed.

View of Railyard's sign seen in an evening in 2021 - Optopolis

Sadly, this is definitely no longer only rumor or hearsay--it appears to now be official.  Local restaurant, Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery is "officially" closed. Here's a glance at the history and a look at the current status of Railyard space.

History of the Railyard space (and a glance at the building at large)

The history of the individual space that Railyard occupied is rather slim. Railyard was the only occupant of the space since the renovation of the larger portion of the building within which it resided. The larger building as a whole, however, goes a ways farther back.

According to the property assessor, 1963 is the build date of the building that makes up everything from The Office Bar and Grill to Railyard and HUB Insurance (previously, Wyoming Financial Insurance). Over the years, many different establishments have occupied the building, including the section that Railyard previously occupied.

View of the plaza in 2021, including Wyoming Financial Insurance (now HUB Insurance) - Optopolis

Cheyenne locals may recall that Grand Central was located in the building at one time. According to Groceteria, Albertsons was present in the building although a press release from the FTC dated 1998 notes that, at the time, it operated under the trade name of Max Food & Drug; in 1998, the Max/Albertsons store was to be divested to Smith's Food and Drug (at the time, "a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fred Meyer").

Additional detail on Albertson's at this location: An ad in a newspaper published in October 1980 confirms that Albertson's was present at that time.

In 1999, a document also from the FTC notes that the then-new Smith's at 1600 E Pershing Blvd (along with the Smith's near the Lincolnway Dollar Tree) would be divested to Nash-Finch, parent of Econofoods. The E Pershing Econofoods was present in the building until at least 2003 based on archived pages of the Econofoods website.

View of the Econofoods/Cheyenne Regional Fitness Center building in 2011 - Google Maps Street View

Since at least 2007, the majority of the building had sat vacant as can be seen in Google Maps street view. However, since at least 2007 and prior to 2017, Cheyenne Regional Fitness Center had been present in the east end of the building, closing the doors to the location by or before 2017.

Starting in 2014, renovation began on what would become known as the Pershing Plaza. Phase 1 of the renovation involved (roughly) the center of the building that would become Gold's Gym.

Pershing Plaza in summer 2017 when the east and west ends of the building were being renovated - Google Maps Street View

The next phase would renovate the sides east and west of Gold's Gym, respectively; The Office Bar and Grill, Nutrition Company, Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery, and Wyoming Financial Insurance would be the tenants that occupied the initial spaces surrounding Gold's Gym. Railyard would open sometime in 2018, as further confirmed by various Facebook posts on the Railyard Facebook page.

It's worth mentioning that in 2020, the Capitol Theatre would work to add an adult-only theater, taking the place of the still-vacant space previously home to part of the former Cheyenne Regional Fitness Center.

What is the status of the Railyard?

Store front of Railyard seen in November 2023 - Optopolis

Not to long ago, there was speculation going around the community that Railyard had possibly closed; within a few days prior to Phylicia's article on 101.9 KingFM and other sites associated with Townsquare Media, at least one local posted to one of the Cheyenne community groups about how the Railyard's signage had been taken down.

Since the time of Phylicia's post, a sign has appeared in the front door of the former Railyard space, stating that the restaurant is officially closed.

"Officially closed" sign in the door of the Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery space - Optopolis

As of the time of writing, the Railyard Facebook page reflects this information although no new Facebook post was made mentioning the closure. The Google Maps listing has also been updated to reflect this info.

A peek inside the windows reveals that the dining area is mostly empty besides some remaining kitchen fixtures. A chalk board displaying "Cars and Coffee" is still present though out of sight, and most or all of the window stickers are still posted in the windows.

View inside of the Railyard space, seen in November 2023 - Optopolis

The exact date of the closure doesn't appear to be known down to a day although a health inspection occurred back in September, suggesting that the restaurant was still open at that time.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it doesn't appear to be absolutely clear what caused the closure. At the moment, it doesn't appear the space has been posted online as available by common property marketplaces such as Loopnet.

Will you miss Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery? What kind of restaurant would you like to see take the place of the former Railyard? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

Originally published: 11/10/2023 at 11:04 AM

Updated: 11/26/2023 at 7:44 PM to add a newly discovered detail about Albertson's at the corner of E Pershing and Concord.