Welcome to #TBT, or Throwback Thursdays, where we revisit some of the Denver metro area’s tried and true restaurants that have become institutions. For example, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, which celebrates 20 years and a huge expansion. Over time, these places have weathered the shifts in our city’s restaurant landscape. As flashy newcomers enter and exit, these restaurants, bars, and cafes remain, though sometimes get overlooked by the fickle short-term attention span of a social media-driven obsession with the new and the now.
Today officially marks two decades of Snooze, an A.M. Eatery rocking the Denver dining scene, and it’s been doing it with brunch all along the way. What once started as a humble breakfast spot in the Ballpark neighborhood has spread to 10 states, and over 70 locations.
For many reasons, the now breakfast chain should celebrate. For 20 years the brand has maintained an ongoing commitment to the communities it enters, the employees who work for Snooze (aka snoozers), and the purveyors they source from. In honor of this milestone, we look back, we look forward, and we look to the breakfast table to discover the story behind Denver’s famous brunch spot.
How It Started
Adam and Jon Schlegel, two brothers from Littleton, opened the first Snooze in April, 2006. Each brought their own set of skills to the figurative and literal table. John, who worked at Sushi Den and several other local restaurants, maintained a deep love of hospitality in general. Adam served up the business brains, which allowed the operation to succeed. Now, 20 years later, the brothers still run the company as a team.
Diners can still visit that first Snooze in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood at 2262 Larimer St., which is now open after a series of renovations last year. The original spot remains true to the origins. Part of the $1 million-plus renovation, said Snooze’s COO, Brianna Borin, was to show Denver the restaurant planned to stay and reinvest in the neighborhood.
“We are working to improve that community the best we can,” said Borin, adding the community of snoozers is equally important. “We believe if you build a community in the four walls of the restaurant, and work hard to build [the community] outside those walls, it can all work together.”
As for the name, it comes from that lovely and traitorous button on an alarm clock. You hit it once, and you want to keep coming back to the snooze option again and again.
Brunch Famous
The endless lines for brunch didn’t happen right away. In fact, originally Snooze opened at 2 a.m. as a place to cater to the late-night and industry crowd. The brothers were also living above the restaurant.
Adam told Eater in a 2016 interview that Snooze was on the slow side the first year, until the brothers invited the Downtown Denver partnership to come in and discuss the community. Gradually business picked up, eventually becoming the two-hour-wait, line-out-the-door sort of destination.
The rising star of the menu was the famous Pineapple Upside-Down Pancake, and it remains a favorite today. The signature pancake flights make tasting that and other options such as Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Danish, and Sweet Potato a sweet breakfast adventure. You can also sample the pancake of the month, which often reflects the season, and for those who want simple, buttermilk pancakes are always on the menu.
Of course other brunch foods should be sampled too, and across the brand and locations, the menus stay consistent. Currently diners can enjoy hearty classics such as Corned Beef Hash, a breakfast sandwich, biscuits and gravy, and an array of omelets including the local signature, the Denver Omelet. Breakfast tacos and burritos add a hefty bite to brunch, and eggs Benedict lovers have a choice of five different types.
A healthy and protein-heavy menu leans into the current dining climate, and the Sweet Potato Veggie Smash Up is a personal favorite. Kid diners also have a great menu of favorite breakfast bites, and each order comes with fresh fruit and hashbrowns.
On the drink side, you can go boozy or straight, juice-filled or soda. The house-blend coffee is one of the best cups in Denver, and each comes in Snooze’s signature yellow mug. The compass logo is stamped on the bottom, so if you buy one as a souvenir you’ll always know where it came from and be reminded of the eight pinnacles of the company: guests, snoozers, community, sustainability, individuality, passion, best of the best, and craveable.
Growing the Snooze Brand
Though Snooze remains a Colorado company, now 10 states across the country enjoy the signature pancakes, retro decor, and delicious coffee.
“We’re Denver proud and worked hard to emulate the values of the Denver community,” said Borin. “We’ve said that we bring cowtown hospitality to cities all over the country.”
While she admitted thinking 20 years into the future for a restaurant, any restaurant, is impractical, she does see the brand continuing to grow. Currently, she added, the company wants to expand into Snooze’s existing markets, with the goal of maintaining the four to six restaurant openings per year.
Even though so many Snooze locations exist, getting a seat at prime weekend brunch times still includes a wait time. While other aspects to the brand have shifted and grown while time goes on, the no-reservation policy remains steadfast. Though today, you have the option to go online and add yourself to the waitlist, right from your couch or car. If that doesn’t show how Snooze wants to make the community feel good, one bite of the pancakes will.
