Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard ~ Colorado chain : Parker

Latest visit: Apr 2024 (Parker)

First visit: Apr 1995 (Denver - Havana @ Mississippi)

HQ: Golden (founded: 1968 in Boulder)

Locations: 29, almost all of them in the Denver metro area, with Fort Collins representing their northernmost location. They have been contracting slowly over the years. The first visit location I went to is still going strong it appears.

Time for my twice annual dentist appointment, which remains up in Parker (and probably always will). As is often the case, I was on a tight timeline and didn't have the opportunity for a more leisurely lunch. Mostly this was due to a last minute change in the planned schedule and going on a Tuesday is just asking for trouble during the workweek (especially given it's a 90 minute roundtrip drive). I usually never leave the house for anything on a Tuesday for this reason. No matter as it's been a full three years since I last went to a Good Times, a place I used to frequent at least once a week in the mid 1990s. For whatever reason I didn't notice that this Good Times actually has a dining area. In fact, I didn't think any of them did. When I arrived today, I wasn't interested in the drive-thru, and was looking forward to the walk-up option just like at Chiltepin that I just revisited. They have the patio furniture, but no window. Huh? Oh wait, this is like a regular fast food place. So I went inside to a Good Times for the first time ever - 29 years since my first visit.

For today's lunch, I grabbed a double cheeseburger (I was starving) and a Frozen Custard. Which they elaborate by calling them "Spoonbenders". I had the Caramel Toffee Crunch. I think I was just in the mood for both, but boy did they taste great! Of course I had a perfectly clean mouth to go with it haha. 

Nice clean restaurant with friendly service too. I'm not up this way too much, and there's so many other places to try. But if in a hurry, I know where to go...

---original 4/16/21 review

All these years, and I haven't penned a single word for Good Times. And I almost forgot again, until I was reviewing our Denver list. See, there's no Good Times in Colorado Springs, but they are all over the Denver area. And there was a period when Good Times was my go-to when I was starving, and wanted something fast to take home to my apartment (1995-1997). I was really quite fond of their spicy chicken sandwich back then. Later, there was one within walking distance of our former summer townhome (Hampton @ Yosemite 2009-2011), which reintroduced me to them again. As it turns out, their furthest southern location happens to be right across the street from the RJG's official dentist, a dentist office I've been going to since our days of living in the Pinery (~1998-2002). There was no Good Times in the area back then though. So this provides me a great opportunity to revisit a long time favorite. Good Times doesn't break new ground. They are your classic drive through shack with burgers and chicken sandwiches - and now frozen custard, which I tried for the first time. They're better than the megachains (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's...), but aren't going to win awards otherwise. I'm perfectly fine grabbing one of their burgers, parking, and devouring. They've been reliable all these years, and while I rarely frequent them, they are worthy of at least a yearly visit. And I know exactly when that will be...

4//1995; 1996; 1997; 10//02; 2009; 6/7/10; 2011; 4/18/12; 11/17/13; 4/16/21 (new entry); 4/30/24