There’s may be no such thing as a free lunch — but there is a free dinner at the new Modern Market Eatery. The Colorado-based fast-casual restaurant is giving away free dinner at its newest Colorado Springs location at Powers and South Carefree Circle.
The evening of celebration and free dinner happens Friday, June 14 at 5-8 p.m. Each guest will receive one complimentary entree, fountain drink, dessert and swag, while supplies last. There will also be special giveaways.
The new location is at 3015 New Center Point. It’s the third Colorado Springs location and the first drive-thru location among the company’s 30 restaurants nationwide. The Denver-based Modern Market Eatery specializes in scratch-made meals using clean ingredients. The menu features fresh salads, grain and protein bowls, toasted sandwiches and brick oven pizzas.
The first Modern Market opened in 2009 in Boulder. Co-founders Rob McColgan and Anthony Pigliacampo had met as teenagers. After college and early in their careers, the two decided they wanted to make people happier through food — and they wanted to be happy with where they live.
McColgan had been working in New York City as an equities trader and wealth advisor with Goldman Sachs. “I fell in love with Colorado, and there are not many times in your life when you get to choose where you go. So when we were starting our business, we asked ourselves, ‘Hey where do we want to be?’ And Colorado felt like the perfect place,” McColgan tells us at a media preview of the new Colorado Springs Modern Market.
The company’s headquarters are now in Denver in a former restaurant that belonged to prolific restaurateur and chef Troy Guard. “Our whole team is around the activity of the test kitchen, which is really fun,” says Chef Nate Weir, vice president of culinary. “So we’re always innovating and trying new flavors, and we try everything on ourselves first.”
Weir joined Modern Market in 2011 from farm-to-table dining, resonating with the company’s emphasis on real, whole, sustainable ingredients. Besides menu creation, he says much of his focus is on teaching and documenting and “being really realistic with the things that I create so a brand new employee is able to do it themselves.” Though its dressings and sauces are made in a central location, Modern Market dishes are made from scratch in each of its restaurant.
Modern Market changes its menu at least twice a year, and the new summer menu released in May. (Its dishes will be available for the Colorado Springs free dinner.) Most notable are the seafood additions, including a Summer Seared Ahi Salad, Shrimp BLT Salad and Green Goddess Shrimp Bowl.
“We have never done shrimp before. This is the first time in our 15-year history that we have shrimp,” Weir says. “So I’m really excited about our Shrimp BLT Salad. I think it’s got really good, fresh flavors. I love the basil buttermilk dressing on there. I’m really happy with how the chilled shrimp is going into the summer.”
We tasted it and were impressed with its freshness and variety of ingredients, including blue cheese and half an avocado. Another impressive new menu item is the Sweet Corn Chicken Pizza that includes blackened chicken thigh, mozzarella and cotija cheese, roasted corn salsa, cilantro and sweet corn puree.
Besides the new menu items, we recommend the Lemongrass Tuna Chef’s Bowl for a fresh meal that manages to taste light and eat hearty. The line-caught ahi tuna is served on a bed of organic rice and quinoa, and it is topped with carrot, cucumber, pickled onion, jalapeno, cilantro, peanut, lemongrass aioli and chile vinegar.
Weir says it’s his go-to lunch. “I do that a couple times a week,” he says. “It’s just so fresh and light, but doesn’t skimp on flavor at all. It’s my all-time favorite.”
If you want to find your own new favorite at Modern Market’s free dinner, you don’t need a ticket or reservation. But you probably want to get there early — and bring the whole family. We’re guessing it will be popular.
Modern Market Free Dinner
Friday, June 14
5-8 p.m.
Only at the new Modern Market Eatery, Powers Location, 3015 New Center Point.
Each guest will receive one complimentary entree, fountain drink, dessert and swag, while supplies last.
