Who we are
Changing meat, one steak at a time
A butcher shop, market, restaurant, lounge, and Colorado beef story rooted in Evergreen.
Our mission
Spend differently, source better
The Lazy Butcher exists to provide a friendly, accessible platform for people who want to change and improve how they source animal protein. Changing the industry happens one steak at a time.
Not spending your dollar is not the answer; spending it differently is. We work hard to positively change the meat industry in any way we can. Small ranchers, farmers, processors, and butcher shops are coming back because people no longer want mass-produced meat. They want well-raised animals that are good for them and good for the land.
CEO & Owner, Lazy Butcher & Black Hat Cattle Co.
Evan Jeffries
Evan Jeffries’ family has ranched in Evergreen since 1863, first visiting in 1860 and buying what is now the Evans Ranch. His ancestry runs through the Evans, Hayden, and Davis families across the Upper Bear Creek valley — including his great-great-great grandfather John Evans, Colorado's second territorial governor and founder of the University of Denver.
He grew up summer ranching with his grandma and uncle on Bear Creek and spent 20 years with Denver Fire while keeping cattle operations going on the side. In 2014 he started Bear Creek Cattle Company, Evergreen's first consumer-based cattle company, and in 2024 he opened The Lazy Butcher back at his Evergreen roots. He describes the BBQ simply: "Texas style with a mountain twist."
Today Evan is running cattle in the Yampa River basin near Steamboat Springs — a return to his family's ties to ranching in that country. Our own-brand cattle are raised for us at Fitch Ranch, harvested at their USDA-inspected facility, and delivered to our butcher shop, and we also source from Fitch and other local ranches to keep quality high and supply steady. It's a relationship we value deeply, and it brings the story full circle from pasture to butcher case.
In his own words
Evan on The Mountainside Podcast
Evan sat down with The Mountainside Podcast to talk about the beef industry, raising cattle, his family's ranching history, and how Lazy Butcher and Black Hat Cattle Co. came to be.
COO, Lazy Butcher & Black Hat Cattle Co.
Scott McKenzie
Scott McKenzie is the COO of The Lazy Butcher and Black Hat Cattle Co., the one who makes sure it all runs the way it should, from the butcher case and the kitchen to the Cowboy Lounge and the dining room in Kittredge. He brings an extensive background in the restaurant industry, served as general manager when Black Hat Cattle Co. reopened in 2026, and is a driving force behind the day-to-day at both.
For Scott, it comes back to a few simple things: good cattle, good food, and good people. He loves the whole chain, from the pasture to the butcher block to the plate, and the cowboy way of life that runs through it: honest work, a firm handshake, and looking out for your neighbors.
He believes a great restaurant is built by its crew, and he's the one bringing that crew together. Scott wants every guest to feel like a regular, whether they're in for a smash burger, a steak dinner, or a pour of Rough Stock Reserve, because in a mountain town like Evergreen, community isn't a slogan. It's the whole point.
Reviews
What folks are saying
Best damn BBQ around, hands down.
Full butcher shop with all the goodies — I come here for all my meats, chicken, and seafood.
Happy hour here is THE spot to be.
Bar service is always on point, even on a packed Saturday night.
Everything's made in-house, and you can taste the difference.
