TORRINGTON – On Saturday, January 20, the 307 Sports Bar and Grill (307) in Torrington threw a “Farewell and So Long Bash” to say goodbye to the community it has humbly served for the last five years before closing its doors for good on Sunday.

 The 307 has been a fixture in the Western Travel Terminal truck stop (WTT) since January 2018, when siblings Julia “Julie” Miller-Harshberger, her brother, James “Jimmy” Miller and their spouses, Charlie Harshberger and Tommi Miller, stepped in to take over the lease to keep the local eatery and watering hole open. Essential Fuels bought the truck stop property from WTT and chose not to renew the current lease. 

 Julie and Jimmy grew up in the Lingle and Torrington areas. They confided having come from a family which had many businesses over the years, they were confident in taking on the restaurant and bar. 

 “Our parents had a Chinese restaurant, a steakhouse, and a video store, among other businesses. One thing my dad always said was ‘food and entertainment make money,’” Miller said, as Miller-Harshberger nodded. “While that may be true,” the pair agreed. “It wasn’t about the money. It’s about the people,” Miller-Harshberger said. 

At one point, the siblings had separately made their way to Deadwood, where Miller-Harshberger managed two bar casinos and was an assistant manager at a restaurant. Miller himself was a cook at a restaurant in Deadwood for a time. 

The opportunity to take over the restaurant lease kind of just fell in their lap. 

“I was about to buy a food trailer and get into the food trailer business when my wife, Tommi, who was working at the truck stop as a waitress for the previous owners, came home and said the restaurant was going to close in two weeks. Tommi, Julie and I went to talk to the owners about taking over the lease,” Miller added, during the talks taking on the bar and liquor store became part of the agreement. 

“It was unexpected, but it worked out,” Miller explained, laughing. 

The siblings have loved their time at the 307 Sports Bar & Grill. They have had the good fortune of working with some amazing people over the years, calling them family. 

“It’s always been about our customers and our employees. You don’t have anything if you don’t have them,” Miller stressed “They’re the biggest assets,” and Miller-Harshberger agreed.

They will miss seeing and serving their regulars, they each said. In addition to the many regulars they mentioned were Bruce and Betty Swisher.

“I’ve been there 12 years. Bruce and Betty Swisher came in every day, three times a day,” Miller-Harshberger said.
“Bruce’s mom, Betty, passed a couple of years ago, and Bruce still comes three times a day, and if he’s not there we are wondering if he’s visiting family. It’s people like that that are the staples in the restaurant.” 

They also spent time fondly talking about some of their regulars who’ve passed over the years that they adored, Dave Barber and Dennis Murphy were among the names they touched on while reminiscing. Both Miller and Miller-Harshberger agree, all of their regulars were a big part of what made a good job great. 

The restaurant being connected to a truck stop meant they would often get repeat travelers passing through on their way to other destinations, both near and far. Some coming through Torrington often enough would stop at the 307 when in the area, some even asking for staff by name.

“You’d be surprised how many repeat out-of-towners we get that make a special point to stop in to eat and visit,” Miller shared. 

“They ask for the staff by name, ‘does Charlie still work here? or where’s Darla,’” Miller-Harshberger said with a smile. 

“The business is only part of it, none of it happens without the people, especially the truckers.”

“Our dad drove truck for a while. You know, we tried to give the truckers a place to relax, so they’re not just pulling up to some fast food joint. We gave them a good place to eat, to stay and hang out, and most of them thanked us for it,” Miller explained.

“Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we gave every employee the day off and just the owners would work. We’d open up the bar and have free chili or something just so if a trucker did stop, they would have someplace to go and have a hot meal on the holiday,” Miller-Harshberger added “It’s never been about the money, it’s about the community and the people.” 

“Doing our part for people like our father and other truckers who work on the road is important,” they reiterated.

Over the years they catered for special events such as weddings, funerals, birthday parties, even family reunions.

“Some of the catered events have had special requests for meals that weren’t on the menu and we accommodated them. We have catered at locations other than the restaurant when requested, and we have always been happy to do it,” Miller asserted.

The goodbye party was a success. The doors opened at 4 p.m., with the first drink free to anyone 21 and over. The restaurant served a buffet and there was karaoke to help celebrate. The tables and booths filled up fast with most having been reserved ahead of time. However, the staff was happy to create and provide seating to anyone who walked in without a reservation and wanting to share in the festivities, making everyone feel welcome.

With a full house, much of the public came to bid a hearty farewell. The atmosphere was palpable with mixed emotions from both staff and patrons alike.

“I’m sad about it. My kids grew up here. I’ve been here for 12 years and my daughter used to do her homework in that booth right there, while I would work,” Sarah Minter said pointing to a booth. “I’ll miss the job.”

“I’ll miss coming here,” Jan Trout, a Torrington local and customer, said.

“I’m ready,” Miller-Harshberger explained “When one door closes, another opens and it’s time to move on. It’s been good here and we appreciate Eric Reichert for everything. He was good to us.”

When Miller-Harshberger broke the news to her staff about the ending of the lease, there was shock and a lot of tears. She immediately set about trying to help with securing employment for those who wanted it. She reached out on Facebook asking the public to keep her employees in mind. Her Facebook post was shared more than 265 times and most of her employees have already found other employment, for which she and Miller are grateful.

“We had a big response to the closing as far as our staff needing employment, which was awesome,” Miller-Harshberger explained.

 At one point, Miller-Harshberger spoke to the crowd. She thanked her staff, both present and past employees, including Alicia Rodriguez, who was recently killed in a car accident outside of Lusk. She also made a point of thanking those who had gathered for the celebration.

“I want to thank everyone who came out tonight, thank you very much,” Miller-Harshberger ended her speech and kicked off karaoke by singing Black Velvet.

It was a packed house and a great time. The community will miss the 307 Sports Bar & Grill without a doubt. Past employee, Marissa Requejo shared some thoughts of her own.

“I dedicated 10 years to that place. I met a lot of amazing people,” she continued to say. “I’ve seen a lot of people come and go from there. That building was like a second home to me. It’s sad to see it closing, but there always has to be room for change.”

And change there will be, as the liquor store will remain open while the bar and restaurant area will be left vacant, with the future of use of the space unclear at this time.

Miller-Harshberger and Miller say they are ending their time with the 307 on a good note and want the community to know they have appreciated the love and support over the years. 

“We feel like people have embraced us as part of their families, too,” Miller said.