Tavern Hospitality Group - Neighborhood Update (Next to Tattered Cover on Colfax)

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From a flyer on my porch:

Dear Neighbors:
My name is Frank Schultz and I'm the owner of the Tavern Hospitality Group. We are currently under contract to redevelop and open our newest restaurant, at the former site of the Neighborhood Flix. We're very excited to be a part of the Congress Park neighborhood. We feel we have an opportunity to bring a business to the neighborhood that will assist in the continued revitalization of Colfax. There has been a great deal of misinformation spread about this project. I want to clarify our conceptual plans and reaffirm our commitment to work with the community.

TYPE OF VENUE - We plan to open a friendly neighborhood restaurant offering good food and service. It will be much like our Tavern Wash Park and Tavern Lowry locations, both in neighborhoods similar to Congress Park. The focus will be to bring the neighborhood a comfortable place to go for an enjoyable lunch or evening out (seating capacity of 100). The additional multi-use space will build off of the wonderful characteristics of the existing space. With a seating capacity of approximately 450, the new space will have a similar occupancy to the old Neighborhood Flix theatres. It will be a unique location for community events such as wedding receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraisers and movie screenings. We recognized there was a need in this area of Denver for an upscale venue for these types of events. Similar to our Soiled Dove Underground location, we will also feature music (jazz, blues, singer/songwriters and other adult contemporary artists) along with comedians and children's shows.

UNDER CONTRACT - We are under contract for this building. We are the only buyer whose proposal was accepted by the bank. Early this past summer, there were other offers on this property that did not qualify for the purchase.

LIQUOR LICENSE - There's been a great deal of confusion regarding this license. A liquor license already exists from the previous company that was in that space; therefore, we are already able to serve alcohol. We are merely adhering to Denver regulations which require a dance cabaret license in order to allow dancing for events. In addition, the all-ages classification will allow us open attendance at events. Examples of these events would be weddings receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraising galas and other similar events which might feature dancing and be attended by people of all ages. This modification request is for the multi-use space facility only and not for the benefit of the restaurant use.

IMPACT ON EAST HIGH SCHOOL - I don't feel we will negatively impact the school. In fact, having a healthy restaurant across the street for a lunch option will be an added benefit to both students and teachers. Additionally, the multi-use space might be a good option for school events (i.e., fundraisers, school performing arts, etc.). We have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to serving alcohol to underage patrons. We have been in business for 13 years with 6 different liquor licenses without a violation. We are proud of this, and feel it is a testament to our stringent policies.

As with all our businesses we approach each project with a long-term vision for success. It is important that you understand our company philosophy for establishing new locations within a neighborhood to become a fixture there for years to come. Additionally, we're very responsible restaurant operators and take a lot of pride in the way we run our business. It's of the utmost importance to us that we continue to operate in a respectable manner, which is why we've reached out to all the neighborhood associations in advance. We're are currently working on a neighborhood agreement like we've done with our other Tavern locations. We feel this is an important step in our process to let the neighborhood know our commitment to our new neighbors. In the past, there have been problems in this area of Colfax with drugs and other disagreeable elements. Our goal is to help make the neighborhood safer and more welcoming, thereby contributing to its growing vibrancy and revitalization. The Lowenstein Development has done a wonderful job so far with Twist & Shout and The Tattered Cover. We look forward to contributing to their continued success.

I would like to thank all of those who attended our neighborhood meeting on September 24th, it was encouraging to hear all of the positive feedback. It's important to me that we have a good relationship with all our neighbors. As with any project, there are always different points of views and opinions. During this period of the project I would appreciate any positive or negative comments, questions and concerns. Please feel free to e-mail me with any of these at 2510colfax@tavernhg.com.

Sincerely,

Frank Schultz
Owner, Tavern Hospitality Group