Dougherty's Celebrates Fifteen Years in Business on October 22

"Sometimes it feels like the blink of an eye, and sometimes it feels like three lifetimes," says Wes Ingram, owner of Dougherty's Restaurant & Pub, at 5 East Ellsworth Avenue.

The Irish-inspired neighborhood joint, one of the 100 bars we can't live without in 2022, is celebrating fifteen years in business this Saturday, October 22. To mark the occasion, it will offer three of its most popular food items: shepherd's pie, hand-breaded fish and chips or a Reuben sandwich with a Guinness and a shot of Jameson (or your choice of drink) for $15.

The bar, which opened in 2007, has faced plenty of challenges over the years, including a fire that nearly destroyed the place just five months after it opened. "The space that used to be Freaky's and is now Chubby Cattle was completely incinerated," Ingram recalls. The blaze began around 11 p.m.; smoke was soon pouring in and flames going up the side of the building.

While Ingram sat nearby, watching his new business potentially burn to the ground, a regular went to a nearby liquor store and came back with a small bottle of Jameson. "I was getting ready to call my wife to tell her I'd lost everything," he recalls. "I understood if she wanted to leave me. ...  A captain with the Denver Police Department looked at me, and I took a pull and said, 'That's my restaurant.' He just pointed at me and walked away."
Soon, though, "every fire department in Denver was there. There were firemen flying all over the place," he continues. "They saved us." Dougherty's was closed for just two days because of smoke damage. "It was kind of miraculous," Ingram adds.

For several years after. Dougherty's hosted a firefighter party, even shutting down the street for a party where it charged $5 a toss to sink firefighters featured in that year's calendar in a dunk tank. "We raised a considerable amount for the Denver Burn Foundation," Ingram recalls.

Dougherty's has also been prone to frequent flooding. "There are forty apartments above me; this is a 100-year-old building. Pipes have been known to burst," he says. "Fortunately, none of the rock-and-roll art has been destroyed. Jerry comes off the wall quick if anything happens," he adds, referring to a painting of Jerry Garcia painted by Grace Slick.

When the pandemic hit and the bar was forced to shut down, Ingram attempted to apply for a PPP loan through Wells Fargo. "I was online at 7 a.m., and by the time I hit 'submit,' they were no longer accepting applications," he says. Thankfully, his accountant was able to connect him with a banker who was able to help, and the funds allowed him to pay and retain all of his employees through the shutdown. "It was a very scary period," he admits. "[The PPP loan] was something unexpected. I never really thought I'd receive money from the government."

But he did, and "we got through it," Ingram says. "It was wild."
Now, Dougherty's is back to doing what it does best: serving as a gathering place for good times, stiff drinks and tasty food — even if some regulars are still surprised to learn the bar has a food menu. In fact, it also has a new chef, Jen Gibson. "She's doing some really great things in the kitchen," Ingram says.

After bars opened back up, business came roaring back and continues to be solid. "You lock people up for a while and they get to come back out, it feels like the Roaring ’20's," Ingram notes. "We're doing really well."

And despite costs (and rent) continuing to rise, he's planning to keep Dougherty's going as long as he can. "We built [the bar] by hand," Ingram concludes. "I wanted a place where people could put on their favorite shirt and favorite old jeans and just let loose, and it's kind of worked out."

Dougherty's is located at 5 East Ellsworth Avenue and is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Brunch is served on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and happy hour is available from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit doughertyspub.com.