Visit Denver, inKind and City Eco Devo Agency Cook Up Plan to Help Restaurants

Richard Scharf got in on the sticky ground floor of the hospitality industry: He was a bartender at the long-gone but still legendary Duffy's Shamrock. So when the president and CEO of Visit Denver, the metro area's tourism and convention booster group, heard the cry from local restaurateurs that times were tougher than ever before, he was shaken...and stirred to action.

Today Visit Denver, the city's Economic Development & Opportunity department (DEDO) and inKind, a hospitality technology company, are announcing a collaboration that's cooked up a fix: a two-person team of experienced restaurateurs that will strategize sustainability and support Denver’s food and beverage industry over the next six months.

“Restaurants are one of the pillars of Denver’s economy and part of our cultural identity,” Scharf says in a statement announcing the plan. “From your favorite neighborhood bistro to our new Michelin-star restaurants, and cherished events like Denver Restaurant Week and Denver Food & Wine Festival, the food and beverage industry is one of the most visible and treasured parts of what makes Denver such a great place to live, work and visit. This liaison effort builds on our longstanding work to support the industry and ensure it thrives for the betterment of Denver as we continue to attract visitors from across the country and around the world.”

Under Scharf, Visit Denver created Denver Restaurant Week two decades ago, during another uncertain economic time; two years ago, it was one of the prime players in helping persuade Michelin to do its first Colorado guide,

And now it's working with the city and inKind to create a restaurant liaison team. After putting out a call for applications, the group chose a proposal from two industry veterans:

Dana Faulk Query is co-owner of Big Red F Restaurant Group, which operates Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, The Post, Centro Mexican Kitchen and several other concepts; she's also served on the boards of EatDenver, Colorado Restaurant Association, Boulder Chamber, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, Zero Foodprint and others.

“I have worked in restaurants since I was eight, holding every front and back-of-house position, from dishwashing to now co-owning some of Denver’s longest-standing restaurants with my husband,” says Query in the plan announcement. (That husband also happened to author a controversial letter this winter that made restaurant problems very, very public.) “To me, restaurants aren’t just businesses; they're community anchors, gathering spaces and can represent the surrounding culture. I’m excited to help strengthen the bridge between operators and city leadership to support
and strengthen the health of the Denver restaurant industry.”

Query will be partnering with Adam Schlegel, a sustainability advocate who's the co-founder of Snooze A.M. Eatery and Chook Chicken; he's served on the board of EatDenver, Visit Denver, Colorado Restaurant Response and other groups.

“I have started two restaurant concepts in this town over the past two decades," says Schlegel in that same statement. "While I have seen our restaurant scene grow by leaps and bounds in terms of size, quality and reputation, some of the ways the industry is asked to operate have not kept pace. We’ve all heard the pain points of permitting delays, workforce struggles and razor-thin margins. Now we have a chance to put real data behind those concerns."

Over the next six months, the team will gather still more data, collecting input from members of the hospitality industry through meetings, interviews and a survey portal currently under construction by inKind. The two will also work with city agencies to gather feedback, and then develop recommendations to address issues facing the industry.

And there are plenty, including rising costs across the country. There are challenges specific to Denver, too, including complaints about the lengthy permitting process (Mayor Mike Johnston is already working on that), safety issues downtown (ditto), and this city's high minimum wage. An effort in the Colorado Legislature last year didn't go far to solving that...but it did give Denver City Council new tools to create a fix. It also showed just how important accurate data is in the discussion, since the debate over just how any restaurants had closed in Denver created a time-wasting dispute.

But now all parties are working to get on the same page. "We look forward to working collaboratively with this talented and knowledgeable team," says Adeeb Khan, head of DEDO, "and continuing to make Denver the best place to open and run a business."

We'll drink to that. Visit Denver, is the bar open?