Imagine bringing joy to a sorrowful occasion. That’s what Shawn Murray does when customers come into his restaurant, Windfall Brewing Co., looking for their dog’s last meal. It’s sad, but heartwarming at the same time.
“I thought, if I can do this, if I can own something, I want it to be dog friendly, and I want to have dogs around,” said Murray, who co-owns Windfall with Abby Jeffers. Now, he added, there are dogs on the patio every day, sometimes up to 20 when the weather is nice. Turns out Windfall is also the perfect spot when it’s time to say goodbye to the family pet with an epic meal.
We were first hipped to Murray’s kindness by a Facebook post last December. Liz Gorgue wrote about how the Windfall owner took care of her beloved pet, Cousteau. The dog received a puppy steak and French fries, and Murray himself sat on the floor and loved the 13-year-old dog along with Gorgue’s daughters.
“Thank you and your team for making the day a little softer, a little gentler for my children, who are just starting to understand how lonely the world might feel without their pup in it,” wrote Gorgue. “All those generous acts are also an offering to me [and] I hope the kindness you’ve shown my family is returned many times over to you.”
Murray understands the sadness behind the death of a loved pet. A few years ago he lost his own dog, a Saint Bernard named Mozart. He saw Gorgue’s post about looking for a last meal spot for Cousteau on Reddit, and immediately reached out to her.
“I told her, I will take care of you, and you’re dog, please come see us,” he said. “It’s just a no-brainer and I don’t lose anything for giving something out in a goodness gesture.”
Windfall Brewing Co. opened in December, 2021 in what used to be a Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery location. Murray and his partner filled the space with pinball and arcade games, had the walls painted with whimsical murals, and created a menu of bar favorites with a twist.
Murray himself built the tables and chairs and spent hundreds of hours cleaning and creating the Windfall we know today.
While Windfall remains the first restaurant he owns, Murray has been in the restaurant industry in some capacity for 37 years, and four to five of them were spent cooking.
“The only thing I’m not skilled at in this building is brewing,” he said. “I know how to and I go through it with my brewers all the time, so I know all the processes, I’ve just never done it myself. I bartend like, twice a week, and I get in and help serve too.”
The tap lists features over 12 beers brewed in house, and the signature ale is dubbed Puppies. The food menu features items such as Corn Elote Fritters, Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread, and the Smoked Brisket French Dip that we still think about. Larger items such as the Windfall Fish Fry, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, and the Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowl offer even more heft to the meal.
Dogs eat well too. Each gets a freshly-filled water bowl and a treat on the house. Diners can also order their canine companions a plain burger patty, plain chicken cutlet, toasted quinoa, or raw carrots. After all, pups mean a lot to the owner and team.
“I didn’t have such a pleasant upbringing, and whenever I saw a dog it would just make me happy,” said Murray. “When I moved down to the beach I adopted my Saint Bernard, and he became like my life.”
That’s when he knew he was destined to be a dog dad. Personally, he added, he had no intention of having kids, and was happy with his chosen puppy. Today Murray has a furry companion, Harper, a Great Pyrenees that found him three months after Mozart passed. But the Saint Bernard is never forgotten, diners can even see an homage to Mozart as part of the large murals decorating the walls of Windfall. In this way, it’s like his own lost pup is part of a last meal every single night.
Bonus, head to Windfall Brewing Co. for its annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. Expect live music from Neue Polka Colorado, the Great Windfall Lift-Off Stein Holding Competition, a costume contest, a raffle, and pours of house-brewed German beer. Also enjoy a soft pretzel with mustard and beer cheese or an Oktoberfest platter with cheddarwurst or pork schnitzel served with cheesy spaetzle, and mustard sauerkraut. RSVP here.
Visit Windfall Brewing Co. Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight. 14694 Orchard Pkwy. Suite 400, Westminster, windfallbrewing.co
