In a landscape where businesses are fleeing the downtown area faster than a vegan at a BBQ fest, Chef Troy Guard and his TAG Restaurant Group (TRG) are swooping in with a little thing called Done Deal. It’s not just a done deal but the “Done Deal”—a wine and cocktail lounge, smack dab in the belly of the beast: the Republic Plaza, which happens to be the tallest building downtown. (Yay! Maybe I won’t get lost trying to find it, which is something I am known in some circles to do quite often.)
Scheduled to swing open its suave doors late fall in the lobby of Republic Plaza, Denver’s tallest building (because why not aim high?), Done Deal is here to make sure you, the downtown Denver 9-to-5er, don’t even have to leave your office building to toast to that recent business success or, let’s be real, the minor accomplishment of not forgetting your office key card at home. We see you.
“So many business deals are made in the Republic Plaza and now they’ll have a place to celebrate,” Guard said. And really, what could be better after brokering big deals than celebrating with some small bites and charcuterie, local beers, fine wines, and a bevy of craft cocktails courtesy of the “amazing team of sommeliers, bartenders, and mixologists” Guard says he and his restaurant group have assembled for this new concept.
Done Deal is also Troy Guard’s answer to those who say the downtown food and drink scene has peaked. (Clearly, they’ve not peeked inside Republic Plaza.) It encapsulates the very essence of what downtown desperately needs right now: a firm statement that change is on the way. A small sign of rebirth for a Downtown that’s been a little…some would say drowsy, some would say scary, others just say they’re not going anywhere near there. While others see a business exodus in downtown Denver, Guard and the TAG Restaurant Group see an empty stage ripe for a new act.
“A lot of businesses are either leaving downtown Denver or afraid to open up but we’re going all-in in reviving the area and what was once the most exciting part of the city,” Guard said in a statement. “Everyone is desperate for something fresh and new and we’re so excited to give them what they’re looking for with the new HashTAG coming in 2024 and now the Done Deal opening this November.”
Guard has been a longtime advocate and face of the downtown Denver dining scene with his first restaurant, TAG, opening in Larimer Square in 2009 before closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the Downtown area, Guard owns and operates Guard and Grace, his flagship restaurant and award-winning take on the modern steakhouse, and Bubu, with locations in Republic Plaza and Granite Tower. Done Deal joins TAG Restaurant Group’s plans for downtown expansion with another HashTAG, the boozy brunch spot, opening in the area in 2024.
When, exactly, will Done Deal be a done deal? According to the countdown clock, TGR’s got ticking away on the website, doors will be swinging open in just 43 days. Mark your calendars now.
