Cherry Cricket eyes purchase of shuttered Tavern in Greenwood Village

The Cherry Cricket to Potentially Replace Tavern Tech Center in Greenwood Village

The onetime Tavern Tech Center in Greenwood Village, which has been closed since 2020, may soon be transformed into a Cherry Cricket location.

The popular burger joint, known for its locations in Cherry Creek, Ballpark, and Littleton, is currently under contract to purchase the property at 5336 DTC Blvd., according to Lee Driscoll, CEO of the restaurant’s parent company.

Driscoll, the head of Breckenridge-Wynkoop, LLC, informed the Greenwood Village City Council last week that his company is in the initial stages of assessing the property for potential acquisition.

While Driscoll expressed optimism about the property’s condition, he noted that the decision to convert it into a Cherry Cricket would depend on the cost of renovations, which has yet to be determined.

“The property is in very good shape,” he explained. “But our concept is somewhat different. So there would be a significant amount of cost in a conversion to a Cherry Cricket, which is just much more of a food-oriented concept. We’re 72% food-to-alcohol at our existing Crickets.”

Cherry Cricket, a longstanding fixture in Cherry Creek since 1945, has expanded to Ballpark in 2018 and Littleton in 2023. A new location in Broomfield is also in the works for a late summer opening.

Breckenridge-Wynkoop, the company behind Cherry Cricket, also owns Wynkoop Brewing Co. in downtown Denver, Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. in Colorado Springs, and Ale House in Grand Junction.

Driscoll emphasized that areas outside of Denver are currently more appealing for expansion opportunities.

“We have been looking closely at another Denver location but we’ve determined that, at this point, we would probably prefer not to be in Denver,” he stated.

Alex Bunn, the chief marketing officer of the restaurant group, cited Denver’s higher labor costs as a factor behind this decision, as the city’s hourly minimum wage is $4 more than the state minimum wage.

Bunn mentioned that there is no set target for the number of Cherry Cricket locations, as each opportunity is evaluated individually.

“We take it one at a time,” she said. “We look at each opportunity on its own.”

The brand intends to stay within Denver and its surrounding suburbs, remaining close to its roots.

Tavern Tech Center, formerly part of the local Tavern chain operated by Frank Schultz and Terry Papay, closed its doors in 2020 due to the impact of COVID.

Schultz and his mother faced legal disputes in 2023, resulting in the sale of several jointly owned properties last spring.

Schultz expressed his initial plans to retain ownership of the Greenwood Village property but shifted gears when Cherry Cricket expressed interest in acquiring it.

“I remember designing this place and building it. It’s pretty sad for me,” Schultz shared. “But it’s something you gotta do to move on.”