There are over 80 Runza Restaurant locations in America, mostly in Nebraska. Loveland's location has been open for decades, Longmont's just a couple of years.

Fort Collins used to have two Runza locations back in the day: one off of Lemay and Drake, the other at College and Swallow. Maybe The Choice City just wasn't ready for all that great German heritage goodness.

I worked at the Runza in Loveland for a few years in the late '80's. I didn't know anything about them until I answered a Help Wanted ad in the Reporter-Herald. It only took a few days to realize that the place was unique and tasty. You can take it from a guy who was back there hand-making the burger patties, separating onion rings, and grilling/cooking behind the grill.

The trademarked word "Runza" comes from the low Germen word 'runsa' which translates to 'bun shape' or the shape of a full belly. Runza does sound kind of funky, that's for sure, but those Runza sandwiches are great.

With my first radio job, we got a new boss and he had all the staff, including the part-timers, come in for a meeting. I was wearing my Runza shirt and he asked 'What is Runza?' I gave him the spiel:

...a perfect blend of spices to season the ground beef, mixed with cabbage and onions, inside a homemade bread dough.

He thought that was hysterical.

Recently, I was at the Runza website (for what reason, I can't remember) and saw that they have a 'Franchising' tab. I clicked, and found they are looking for someone to open a location in Windsor.

Windsor's heritage includes German-Russian laborers working at the sugar beet factory. There is still a strong German-Russian presence in Northern Colorado, including a great Krautburger joint in Greeley and Evans.  I can see Runza fitting right in, in Windsor. On Fridays (FriDaves) I would hit them up instead of Wendy's, like I do now.

We'll keep you posted if we're hear of anyone taking on the challenge.