Hard Rock Cafe in Denver to close this summer
DENVER (KDVR) — The Hard Rock Cafe has been a staple of Denver’s 16th Street Mall for more than two decades, but that run is coming to an end.
Opened in 1998, the iconic chain restaurant’s final day will be July 29.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reports it has been notified that 54 employees will be laid off when Hard Rock Cafe closes.
The Denver location is the only one in Colorado, and once it closes the closest Hard Rock Cafe will be Las Vegas, which is about 10 hours away by car.
The Hard Rock is a cornerstone business for the Denver Pavilions but not the only eatery at that specific portion of the mall. The Pavilions also house 5280 Burger Bar, Lucky Strike, Henry’s Tavern, Maggiano’s and several other restaurants.
The 16th Street Mall has been under construction for several years and many businesses have closed along the shopping corridor since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The Denver Pavilions is located toward the southeastern end of the mall, near the Colorado Capitol and the Colorado Convention Center.
In February, FOX31 looked at crime and homelessness in the Convention Center Corridor, which stretches from Glenarm Place to Champa Street and 15th to 17th streets and contains a large share of the foot traffic on the 16th Street Mall. The Hard Rock sits just outside of this on the corner of Glenarm and 16th.
In that analysis, there were 182 arrests and 506 people who received social services in the three months prior.
A separate analysis from FOX31’s Data Desk looked at crime reports for the same area across the totality of 2022 and found shoplifting, criminal trespassing and theft of items from vehicles to be the top crimes of the year.
Source: FOX 31 Denver
