“Now that’s a million dollar idea,” is something folks say as a conversational compliment. For Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner’s co-owners and husband and wife team, Aaron Lee and Mallory Gott, it was quite literally true.

They knew they were on to something even before topping a field of nearly 90 submissions and six finalist teams as competitors in the Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway. Since winning the competition in May 2022, Lee and Gott have been hard at work capitalizing on their nearly $1 million prize package as they work towards a grand opening in 2023.