The River’s End Café’s seasonal closure has regulars worried it will remain closed forever. However, no plans have been verified.  Colorado River Discovery (CRD) will only state their regular closure from Dec. 1 till February for inventory is still the plan.

    “We have not pitched in our towels.” says owner/partner Scott Seyler. “Right now we’re taking the time to give our brains a rest. We’ve been going full charge for 11 years.”  
    The curiosity stems from a recent announcement by the National Park Service awarding Aramark the new concessions contract for Glen Canyon.  Still reeling from the abrupt shift, CRD is grateful for the support and encouragement of the public to stay.

    “I can’t walk out [without] somebody approaching to say they are saddened for ‘what’s going to happen?’,” said Scott. “One guy even said we’d be creating a ‘big black void’ if we left. That is not lost on us. We (the owners) appreciate all the support from [Page]. It just might be the spark we need.”

, “It’s disappointing we didn’t get [the new contract], said Korey Seyler, CRD’s General Manager

“It has always been in the back of our mind a potential bidder would go after it. We were caught a little flat-footed.”

    When asked if they will stay, he responded, “Best case scenario is to stay…. We feel vested in this town.”

    The idea of transitioning the café to include dinner has been suggested by loyal customers.  

    “[We’re] not so worried about the money [to upgrade],” said Scott. “I’m more worried about the appropriate staff, the right mix of food, wine or beer. A combination people would enjoy coming here for.”
    The retail section of CRD will stay open for holiday shoppers. Plans to liquidate the unnecessary assets will be the primary project. CRD doesn’t want people to panic when it starts.

    “We’ll be liquidating because we just don’t need it,” said Scott “It will be, probably, [package] deals or motors. We will be creative.”

    “We are very proud of this accomplishment,” said Scott. “We worked very hard on them. The battery storage capacity was the only problem. The world is sitting on this precipice of hoping [all thing will be electric]. But the battery storage capacity is not quite there. But the minute it is, there will be ...no need for combustion engines.”

    Scott added he will still raft the river as a private citizen.

Transitioning

    With CDR’s contract winding down they still have obligations to steer tourists towards the new contractor. The idea of a smooth transition has been less than viable as Aramark has not made themselves open to communication yet.

    “They have a lot of contractual obligations and we probably won’t hear anything till it’s done.” Korey speculates. “We love Page and we want tourism to be bolstered up. It’s what really diversifies us here. It’s a beautiful place. If they would like to reach out, we will respond. We will take calls as though the tours will continue.”

    “We tried to make it smooth by asking ‘What do you want us to do?’. We are not in a position to book any tours for them. We don’t know times or days they will launch. We’re not privy to that. We’ll collect names and contact info as people inquire on the website and we’ll pass it along to them” said Scott.

    When contacted for comment, Media/PR for Aramark Leisure- Deborah Bridges said it was too early to comment on specifics.

    According to National Park Service (NPS) Chief of Concessions, Jennifer Parker the new concessions contracts have been signed and are awaiting review in Washington D.C.  The new concessionaire is set to begin January 1, 2018.

    Scotty Seyler wonders if Aramark will be ready to start giving tours by March 1, 2018..  

    The Perspective outlines the chosen bidder will need to build 20 new rafts. Because Aramark generates billions in revenue, affording the new rafts is not Scott’s concern for either bidder. His concern is the process of building, stability tests, and inspecting topside. Between the Coast Guard, NPS and Game and Fish, licensing is potentially a lengthy one.

        “I believe the Perspective was done [prematurely] and any potential bidder will have a tough time.” Scott said. “I can’t imagine how long it will take for [20 new rafts]. It’s why we offered to stay on. If NPS offered us another year, I would take that deal in a second. It gives [Aramark] a year to gear up.”
    The Seyler’s main concerns are for their 100 summer and 30 year-round employees.

    “They knew when we did.” says Scott. “We are a family business and [as such] we’re all vulnerable to big corporations. [We] are very interested in staying, but we have to be fair to our employees. You have to look out for yourselves first. We don’t want them to wait on something to happen.”

    Korey said he will suggesting to Aramark that they consider hiring CRD’s current river guides as they are already trained and experienced.

    Scott says they’ll keep the Page community informed to any new updates they receive as they move forward.

    “Stay tuned. When we find out what’s next we will announce it big and we will celebrate.”