Lee's Bar-B-Q: A Trinidad Original Keeps the Burger Faith
By Emma Hopkins
Many of the old-fashioned hamburger stands that once were common in cities and towns across the U.S. are gone, replaced by chain outlets. But the first hamburger stand built in Trinidad is still going strong.
Lee's still offers the same old-fashioned, pure beef hamburgers many Americans have come to love.
The restaurant's outside still looks like 1950's drive-in, but without waitresses
dressed in poodle skirts skating to bring your order. Instead,
customers used to honk and wait for their orders to be brought out-and today
they still do.
Inside, there are dishes clanking, hamburgers sizzling, and the low buzz of the people talking about what's new in the neighborhood. Red booths and black-and-white pictures hang on the wall to give the restaurant a certain nostalgic feeling. People of all ages gather around the menu to see what they want to eat. There are gumball machines for the kids and a cigarette machine for the older folks.
Lee's Bar-B-Q has been in operation since 1938. when Ray Lee started it At the eager age of 20, Ray Lee could not find a job because of the Great Depression. A friend of his who operated a Denver drive-in and a friend in Pueblo, who operated a bar called the Columbine, encouraged him to get into the drive-in business. When he told his parents and brother what he intended to do, they had no objections. He borrowed $500 and started looking at places to start his business.
Lee selected a vacant service station at 825 San Pedro just off the busy intersection of Main and Commercial streets. He leased the property and converted the castle-shaped service station into a drive-in restaurant.
"When they started, things were tough," recalled Barbara, Lee's daughter. "They had to use an old kerosene stove with a griddle on top of it. The business didn't exactly boom at first, but as time progressed, it improved and they were finally able to see a profit."
In 1942 Ray was called to the military, so his mother tried to run the restaurant alone. Her health began to deteriorate, and when he finally was discharged in 1946, the restaurant he worked so hard for was closed. It was then that his brother Bob and he went into the business together.
The postwar years proved to be good, and Lee's business was overflowing. At that time, hamburgers sold for 15 cents. The young kids would order as many as five at a time. Along with the burgers, they would order a bottle of beer because at that time, the drinking age was 18.
In 1952, Ray Lee decided to expand because there was not much room in the original building.
"There were only six barstools in the entire place," stated Barbara. So they added more space to provide ten barstools and four large booths, along with many accommodations including a jukebox, refrigeration units, ice cream dispensers, and a cigarette machine. They also did some extensive remodeling to the outside to allow for more parking spaces.
The real reason everyone goes to Lee's is its Bar-B-Q sauce. The sauce used on the beef and pork sandwiches is an original recipe developed by Ray's mother herself. This recipe is a family secret and though Ray had been offered a substantial payment, he refused to divulge the ingredients to anyone.
The Lee brothers also invented the first chiliburger to ever hit Trinidad. This burger has become locally renowned. It consists of an open-faced hamburger and bun, well cooked and smothered with homemade red chili, cheese and French fries-a full meal.
The future of Lee's Bar-B-Q is looking bright. They will celebrate their 65th anniversary this year and are hoping to do more expanding. Whatever physical changes the restaurant will undergo, you can still count on indulging in what Trinidad locals call "the best hamburgers in town."
