Reader: Every Bar Is Someone's Cheers, Even This Cheba Hut

"Thank you downtown Denver for the memories and good vibes," reads a note on the door at 1531 Champa Street, which was home to the first Denver location of Cheba Hut, an Arizona-founded toasted-sandwich chain for nearly fifteen years.

According to a sign on the door, the lease had expired; displaced employees say the place needed a lot of work. But they would have appreciated a little advance notice, rather than showing up for what was billed as a "voluntary meeting" on Monday, May 13, and learning the spot had already closed."We did our best to take care of our employees even in light of this tough situation," says David Timmons, CEO and owner of Cheba Hut's parent company, Elevated Inc. "We are grateful to have so many employees transfer to our other locations."

But while there are indeed other Cheba Hut locations, in their comments on our Westword Facebook post of the news, customers say that this one can't be replaced. Says Stephanie:

I used to drive from Aurora to this store because I loved their food that much… and it was closer than the Boulder location. Of course, years down the road they opened one not too far from me — but even my out-of-town family loved this place.

Adds Cody:

I went to this place to grab a sandwich and a beer every Monday and Wednesday when I was going to college last year; it became my ritual and I even knew the bartenders by name.

Wonders Kai:

Why is everything closing down around the heart of Denver? This sucks. That was my favorite location, too.

Responds Erndog:

It was a bad location and with the construction going on closing 16th Street, I can imagine that took its toll.

Adds Michael:

That’s why I moved from Denver: You keep closing everything downtown. There’s not many places to eat or do anything In the metro area already. The prices were stupid high for lame sandwiches also. Why does everything downtown close early? Whole town shuts down by 10 to midnight, I swear.

And Monte concludes:

I've been a regular since the start. It was a shock to be there Sunday night and wake up Monday morning to hear that it was gone. This dumb place was special to a lot of people, but that was taken for granted after an ownership shakeup. I doubt they know that they hurt a lot of people, but I don't expect them to. They run like two dozen Chebas and a handful of other restaurants; there's no way to have a relationship with your customers from the top in that situation. Any company that refers to their bar as a concept and has never shaken the hand of one regular probably doesn't know much about their clientele or just doesn't care. Still, it would have been nice to say goodbye.

A lot of the kids working here were like five years old when it opened, but to their credit they always asked about the photos on the wall or the names written above the office door or in the concrete or why people touched their hearts or kissed their hands to the portrait painted into the mural when they walked through the door. They also made it a point to know their customers, because each class of employees taught the next class right. They deserved better than to get blindsided like that.

Hundreds of friendships were forged here — unfortunately about a dozen people have passed away over the years — so it became more than a bar but also a place to remember those people who have died. However silly it is, every bar is someone's Cheers, even if it is a rundown dive in the back of a midgrade, stoner-themed sub shop on a sketchy downtown side street.

Thanks for the memories, Cheba Hut.

Did you ever visit this Cheba Hut? What's your Cheers bar? Post a comment or share your thoughts at [email protected].