Before Snooze grew into a breakfast conglomerate with 70 locations nationwide, the brunch spot began humbly in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood.
Brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel opened the first Snooze, An A.M. Eatery, at 2262 Larimer St. in 2006, and early birds flocked to its playful selection of pineapple upside-down pancakes, habanero pork belly eggs Benedict, and mimosas. Now, 18 years later, the original space is getting a facelift.
“Ballpark is our first restaurant, it’s the foundation for everything we are and have become over the years,” Snooze CEO David Birzon wrote in a statement to The Denver Post. ”It’s where our passion for good food and special moments came together; it has helped us continue our mission to grow so that we can continue to give back to our communities.”
The company, which has 13 locations in Colorado, is investing a combined $3.5 million to expand its Ballpark restaurant into an adjacent space, as well as move its nearby Union Station location into the larger, former ND streetBar spaceat 1701 Wynkoop St.
Snooze Ballpark will close on June 3 for renovations and reopen sometime in July with an additional 1,200 square feet, for a total of 4,100 square feet. Most of the extra space will be dedicated to the kitchen.
Snooze Union Station, which has been in the renovation train station and retail center since 2014, will move into a larger space in September. There will be no disruption to service. ND streetBar, previously owned by Kimbal Musk, closed in January last year. The space is more than double the size of Snooze’s current home there, and the patio has enough room for 114 seats out front, compared to the 50 they serve now.
“We’re excited for this restaurant to open in its new location, not only because it’s going to provide more seating and a much larger space, but it will also have a dedicated bathroom for guests, and the kitchen will be on the same floor as the restaurant, making service easier,” Birzon wrote.
