Biker's Jim's Highlands Ranch Hot Dog Shop Closes

Jim Pittenger, owner of Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, has been restructuring his mini-empire this spring. After going in on Pop's Place with chef Stephen Kleinman on Lawrence Street (in the former Lower48 Kitchen space), Pittenger hit one into the ballpark, opening a Biker Jim's on the third level concourse at...

By Mark Antonation

May 2, 2016

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Jim Pittenger, owner of Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, has been restructuring his mini-empire this spring. After going in on Pop's Place with chef Stephen Kleinman at 2020 Lawrence Street (in the former Lower48 Kitchen space), Pittenger hit one into the ballpark, opening a Biker Jim's on the third-level concourse at Coors Field just in time for the home opener. But even a hot dog can cool off a little; Pittenger's Highlands Ranch outpost of the popular sausage kitchen closed for good last night after a sendoff party for employees.

Pittenger says that all of the Highands Ranch employees who were interested will be filling positions at the Denver locations; he explains that the closing was intended to consolidate his staff closer to headquarters and to focus on growth in a more centralized region.

Biker Jim's has been a hot commodity in Denver ever since celebrity chef/author Anthony Bourdain put his stamp of approval on Pittenger's 16th Street Mall cart in 2009 (not that Denverites needed the New Yorker to tell us what we already knew). The first brick-and-mortar Biker Jim's, at 2148 Larimer Street, is still going strong and just celebrated its fifth birthday last month. The south-suburban spot opened in the summer of 2014.

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Mark Antonation is the former Westword Food & Drink Editor. In 2018, he was named Outstanding Media Professional by the Colorado Restaurant Association; he's now with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

Contact: Mark Antonation

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