Yesterday chef Troy Guard officially opened his fourth location of HashTAG, an everything brunch concept he started in 2017. The new Wheat Ridge launch marks the first outpost west of Denver.
“Number four felt right in this area. [HashTAG has] been in Stapleton [now Central Park] for nine years, Highlands Ranch for three, and downtown for one-and-a-half,” said Guard on the phone while he took in the mountain view in front of the new spot. “I like the location and hopefully the community will like it and appreciate it.”
While the menu and vibe will mirror the other HashTAGs, there will be some changes. For starters, the Wheat Ridge spot will be open later, closing at 4 p.m. every day but Saturday, when it’s open until 7 p.m. Because of the extra time, the chef said to excerpt more salads, sandwiches, and burgers on the menu.
The service will look a little different too. Instead of traditional tableside waitstaff, the new restaurant will follow a fast-casual model. Guests can walk in, order food, and then sit wherever they want. Staff will bring the food over to the table, and diners are able to add to the order and get drinks from roaming servers.
“With the climbing of labor and wages and insurance and taxes, we thought this would be a great opportunity to check out [the hybrid service model],” said Guard. “It’s another way to keep the check average down too, and we are just trying to look ahead and think about what the future holds.”
While Guard gazes toward tomorrow, the name HashTAG actually harkens to the past. It’s a meshing of his initials and group’s name, and one of his favorite brunch foods–hash browns. It also came about due to the social media # trend prevalent during the original opening.
Another boon to the Wheat Ridge location is an open share space used between the restaurants and other businesses in the area. Want to enjoy your hot cakes, omelet with pork green chile, and cinnamon rolls while your friends get a beer and sausage from Prost and your kids play? Now you can have both and meet in the middle for a brunch unlike any other.
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