Talk in Cortez business circles that the Millwood Junction restaurant in Mancos was being sold is not true, said owner Joann Riffel.

A business source told The Journal on Thursday that the owner of Moose and More, Brent McWhirter, was working on purchasing the restaurant.

When asked about it, McWhirter called it “a rumor” but also said it “was too early to speculate” about a sale.

Riffel on Friday said any claim about a sale was “false.”

She said there has been speculation that the restaurant was selling, and that it “probably came about after my mother passed away because she was the owner.”

Ownership was passed on to Riffel.

“You can put that rumor to bed. This restaurant is a big deal for my family and this community,” she said. “My parents built this restaurant. I’ve been running it for 30 years, and still am.”

The popular Millwood Junction has been in business since 1977.