El Rancho in Evergreen Is for Sale Once Again

“The process will move fairly quickly,” says Steve Madura, SVP of Illinois-based Hilco Real Estate, which has been retained to run the sale of the 75-year-old El Rancho in Evergreen. News of the sale comes on the heels of a messy situation for the historic lodge-style restaurant.

El Rancho became a major tourist destination — with its own highway exit off Interstate 70 — decades ago, when it was run by Donna and Paul McEncroe, the daughter and son-in-law of second owners Mildred and Ray Zipprich; the McEncroes ran it from 1953 to 1988. But after that 35-year-run, they retired and the place went through a series of owners — and a decline in reputation. After it sat vacant for two years, the Vincent family finally purchased it in 2015, added a brewery and reopened it as El Rancho…