Troy Guard got an offer he couldn’t refuse.
The restaurateur will debut a “totally new” concept at 1900 Lawrence, the 30-story downtown office tower where he recently signed a lease. The ground-floor spot will be Guard’s first Colorado opening since he moved to Houston over a year ago.
“I really didn’t plan to do it, but it’s a good deal and a great opportunity,” he said. “And the opportunities (to open in Denver) are going to be few and far between because it’s not my favorite place to do business right now.”
Guard, who got his start in Denver’s scene with TAG in 2009, declined to share details about the name or menu, but said he’s targeting a spring 2027 opening. The space is 7,000 square feet, including a 1,500-square-foot patio.
Guard said he talked to Chicago-based Riverside Investment Partners, which completed 1900 Lawrence in 2024, on and off about the space for a couple years. Riverside is also developing a building in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Guard will open another location of his steakhouse, Guard and Grace.
“I don’t like to be negative and I don’t want to throw things out there. It is what it is. We’re all having challenges here,” Guard said of Denver’s restaurant climate. “And if the landlord didn’t really work with us (on 1900 Lawrence), then there’d be no opportunity to open at all.”
It will be Guard’s sixth spot downtown.
Guard and Grace occupies 8,500 square feet at 1801 California St. His breakfast spot, HashTAG, has 5,200 square feet at 1125 17th St. in Upper Downtown. He also has a wine bar in Republic Plaza and two locations of Bubu, his customizable-bowl lunch spot.
Guard also has restaurants elsewhere in the metro area.
Guard said he has no other plans to open more restaurants in Denver unless something changes with the city’s tipped minimum wage, which many restaurateurs consider too high.
Further changes could be coming to Guard’s local footprint.
Big Wave Taco, his Mexican concept that replaced Los Chingones in Central Park over the summer, closed about two months ago. And he said four of his other spots in the area have leases ending within the next two years. He’s still deciding whether to renew or close.
While Guard lives in Houston, his TAG Restaurant Group is still headquartered in Denver, he said. He travels here several times a month.
“We’re always open to conversations with city leaders and partners about how to make Denver even more welcoming for small- and midsized businesses,” Guard said. “We want to be part of the solution.”
The 1900 Lawrence tower is 15% leased, according to CoStar. Earlier this year, Riverside’s $240 million loan on the building, which had been set to mature this month, was extended through mid-2027.
Read more from our partner, BusinessDen.
Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.