‘Oh my gosh’

Karla Varela of Holyoke has been with the Happy Jacks Barbeque restaurant since before it became Happy Jacks, smoking briskets, pork, ribs and more: West Texas-style with a little extra bite. Allyn Robinson, who co-owns with his wife, Sheila, originally hired Karla for full-time help as his R&B Catering business grew in popularity. Now, six years after it expanded to become Happy Jacks restaurant – the moniker a nickname for Allyn by one of his great-grandfathers – Karla is set to own the business by Thursday, March 2.

Put simply, Robinson said, “The reason I’m selling Happy Jacks is I’m old and tired.”

When he first opened R&B Catering as an offshoot of his R&B fertilizer application company, Allyn had not originally believed his barbeque – developed for family events in his hometown of Plainview, Texas – would take off at the speed it managed. He began catering with R&B out of the Phillips County Event Center, primarily for weddings and fundraisers. In the meantime, he also worked with Karla when both served as cooks at Ballyneal. Demand for R&B catering rose and he moved to his current restaurant space at 130 E. Denver Street in Holyoke, citing its kitchen and walk-in cooler. The new name would arrive when he opened the dining room.

R&B officially changed its name to Happy Jacks in January 2017. By April of that year, it received an award for “Best BBQ in Northeast Colorado” from the web-based Discover Northeast Colorado organization. It won accolades in local cookoffs and – for 2022 – won the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce’s STAR Award, presented to Allyn in January 2023 at the chamber’s 31st Annual Gala. As was often the case, Happy Jacks provided catering.

“Happy Jacks is not just a business, but a lifeline to this community,” the chamber’s letter of recommendation stated. “As amazing as the food [is], even more special are the owners. Allyn and Sheila go above and beyond not only to be an irreplaceable part of the business community, but also to be kind, exceptional people in general.”

At first, when Allyn asked Karla to buy the restaurant, she did not take him seriously, as she did not believe he really wanted to sell the business. Allyn then talked to Karla’s husband, Jose, regarding the idea of the Varela family owning Happy Jacks.

The resulting deal, Karla said, proved unexpected.

“Oh my gosh,” she said, “I’m really nervous right now. I’ve been there a long time, but now everything is coming together. Sometimes, I think it’s not real.”

While Karla intends to add new items to the menu eventually, she plans to continue at the outset with “everything the same” for both food and catering. In addition, Allyn will be helping out with the work.

“I know how to do everything,” she said. “I don’t stay a lot at the front, but I know how to do the things there, too. I know how to cook the meat. Allyn taught me everything about that place.”

As owner of the restaurant, Allyn said he has enjoyed making people happy with his product and hopes to facilitate a “smooth transition” from Robinson family ownership to the Varelas. All of his children and grandchildren are in the Holyoke area, he continued, so he does not plan on moving any time soon.

Seeing the support from both Holyoke residents and the surrounding communities, he added, has been appreciated. As for the Varelas, he hopes they “continue making it yummy.”

“It doesn’t have to be exactly like what I’m doing – I’m sure they’re going to add their own twist to it somewhere or another – but it just happens,” he said. “Everyone cooks the same recipe a little different.”

To contact Happy Jacks, call (970) 854-7202.