![Arapahoe Basin Opens Highest Restaurant in North America](http://townsquare.media/site/509/files/2019/02/GettyImages-482060968.jpg?w=630&h=418&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
Arapahoe Basin Opens Highest Restaurant in North America
The highest restaurant in North America is no longer located in Telluride. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has opened the highest restaurant in North America.
Arapahoe Basin just opened il Rifugio, which is a European style bistro. This restaurant is 12,456 feet high, making it the highest one in North America. Although Telluride's Alpino Vino sits at 11,966 feet, it's still 500 feet below Arapahoe Basin's restaurant.
Since the restaurant is so high in elevation, they run on solar panels and have no running water. This means they take two trips per week to resupply and they also have to send their dishes halfway down the mountain to be washed.
The restaurant's chef stated that most people ski areas to have expensive food, but this isn't the case. He wants people to come to il Rifugio and think that was great food and it was reasonably priced.
The restaurant currently serves items like soups, salad, flatbread, charcuterie and they're working on being able to sell alcohol too.
Arapahoe Basin Ski area has recently opened a new lift and expanded their terrain -- which makes this the perfect time to open North American's highest restaurant.
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