After a few months under new ownership, the Millwood Junction restaurant in Mancos will be sold again, said Glenn McCord, who served as general manager since October.

William Lapin, who owns the American Holiday Mesa Verde Inn in Cortez, bought the restaurant last fall. McCord said Lapin decided to sell it in December because of operational difficulties.

“We were losing more than we were making,” he said.

Millwood Junction has been in Mancos since the 1970s. It was built by the parents of previous owner JoAnn Riffel.

The sale to Lapin was finalized Sept. 30 after about a month of talks, McCord said Tuesday.

“The Riffel family would like to extend a sincere thank you to our patrons throughout the local communities of the Four Corners area,” the family wrote in a letter published by The Journal Oct. 28. “Without your support during our 42 years in business, the Millwood would never have become the icon it was.”

The property was sold for $600,000, according to the Montezuma County Assessor’s Office.

According to Mancos Administrator Heather Alvarez, the town gave the new owners a temporary liquor license valid until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 by transferring the existing license to the new owners. McCord said because they decided to sell the restaurant, they did not apply for a new liquor license.

The new owners installed windows, improved the bathrooms and added cold prep tables to the kitchen, McCord said.

They also replaced existing Millwood employees with staff members from the American Holiday Mesa Verde Inn, McCord said, citing conflicts with former employees.

The new owners officially closed the restaurant Dec. 23, McCord said. Next week, they plan to advertise the restaurant’s sale with an asking price of $950,000, he said.

This article will be updated as additional information becomes available. |ealvero@the-journal.com