Two of Denver’s beloved old-school diner spaces are getting facelifts and reopening later in the summer, a promising development after a spate of closures that started just before the pandemic.
Over the past few years, local diners such as Tom’s, Racines, Denver Diner, Breakfast King and, most recently, Annie’s Cafe have all announced closures in the face of property sales and redevelopments.
They add to a longer list of decades-old institutions that have recently gone under, from Pete’s Greek Town to Bonnie Brae Tavern. But two local restaurant properties’ transformations show what a future for these community spaces could look like, under very different circumstances.
At Tom’s Diner, on East Colfax Avenue, construction is underway on an extensive renovation to the historically designated 1967 Googie-style building. Restaurateur Tom Messina says his new Tom’s Starlight will reopen sometime in August, complete with a redesigned interior, new menu and outdoor areas that recall the mid-century Palm Springs style.
“We’re bringing in a lot of landscaping, and planting over 24 trees,” Messina told The Denver Post. “We’ll have seven cabanas, a couple of fire pits and a 30-foot outdoor bar … which will be something special, especially in the location that it’s in, surrounded by concrete. I think people are really going to get a kick out of it and not feel like they’re downtown.”
Messina has been working for more than two years with Ohio-based historic real estate firm GBX Group and Denver architect Kephart to reimagine the space that he operated for 20 years as a 24-hour diner.
But now, “no more diner vibe, other than we kept the shell of the building, and kept the layout, if you will,” Messina said. “And no more 24-7, thank God. It’s not going to be like a diner menu with seven pages.”
The former diner counter will be converted into a full bar with a smaller dinner menu to accompany all of the drinks. Think classic shrimp cocktails, calamari, steak, pork chops and fish. And while the surroundings of original stonework and glass picture windows will be preserved, the restaurant’s decor will lean heavily toward dark woods, with a complementary color scheme — all orange, brown and avocado green.
“For people who are familiar with (the space), there’s going to be a wow factor going from the old to the new,” Messina said. “And then, when you step outside … .”
The real show-stopper comes in the form of the “Vegas pool vibe without the pool.” Messina sees this dynamic outdoor space — a necessity for post-COVID-era restaurants — as the most important piece for the future of his business.
“I think what we’re doing is a sure way to meet the needs of the changing restaurant world,” he said.
When Messina was originally approached by Historic Denver and GBX Group, he had been interested in exiting the restaurant business. “At that time in my life, I wanted just to cash out and move on,” he said. “But here we are two and a half years later, and we’ve found a path forward that I think is going to make everyone happy, including myself.”
Not all diner owners have found such an advantageous partnership to keep their businesses alive, however. Farther east on Colfax Avenue, Annie’s Cafe and Bar will turn over at the end of June to new owners who plan to change its concept entirely.
It’s a bittersweet ending for Annie’s owner Peggy Anderson, who had previously hoped that her sister and niece would continue operating the 41-year-old restaurant, just in a new location.
“As it stands right now, we’re just closing and it’s kind of a ‘wait and see,’ ” Anderson told The Denver Post last week.
What’s certain is that local Indian eatery Spice Room will reopen in the space by the end of summer. It’s a concept started by three friends who all dreamed of opening their own restaurant. They started Spice Room in 2017 with a small location at 3157 W. 38th Ave. but have found such a strong following that another, larger location is key to the business’ viability, said co-owner Kal Pant.
Related Articles
-
Looking for Denver’s best tacos? Our March Madness-winning food truck has a new location
-
Connecticut chef leases both a Japanese pub and a Mexican restaurant in Denver
-
Essay: Neighborhood grieving last call at Denver’s historic Bonnie Brae Tavern
-
Ex-RiNo eatery owners opening LoDo po’ boy joint
-
Denver will lose another favorite, decades-old diner at the end of June
“We focused on (consistency) ever since we opened,” he said. “After a year, we realized hey, this is a small space … plus we have four partners, so we can have two in one location, two in the other. I don’t want to have 15 restaurants, just two good ones.”
So when they found out the Annie’s location was for sale earlier this year, they jumped on it. It’s a chance to be their own landlords, since they don’t own the 38th Avenue restaurant space, and invest long-term in Denver real estate.
“It took me forever (to find a second space), and I didn’t get everything I wanted, but at least I’m lucky,” Pant said.
As for replacing an institution like Annie’s, “When you have a demographic and the people’s idea behind what they want, there is a collective feeling,” he explained. “Once (customers) find what they like, they will lock on. So we have to know what customers want and try to move or change with that.”
Whether Annie’s clientele, plus the surrounding neighborhood, will find and frequent the new Spice Room remains to be seen. Pant just hopes his new customer base will keep an open mind and let his restaurant win them over.
“There is a balancing act,” he said. “You have to be able to adapt as a business owner, and as a customer also.”
