Denver Wants To Make It Easier To Open A Restaurant

Restaurant openings are on the rise across the nation, and Denver wants to help more restaurateurs launch locations in the Mile High City.

The Denver Permitting Office outlined new initiatives to ease the permitting process and requirements for restaurants at a Denver City Council committee meeting on July 14, the Denver Business Journal reported.

The changes have been made in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity.

One initiative addresses restaurants’ open patios and eliminates the need for outdoor space permits to be reviewed annually. Instead, the areas will be able to exist in perpetuity once approved by the city, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Darion Mayhorn told the DBJ.

Another change addresses grease traps, which collect grease and fats from water before it runs down the drain and into the city’s sewer system. Denver now allows hydromechanical grease interceptors, something that previously required a special variance, according to the DBJ.

The permitting office also created a tool called StartSmart, which provides general information and requirements that restaurants must meet to open a location in Denver. The tool tells users what reviews and permits they will likely need, Director of Development System Performance Robert Peek told the DBJ.

The new initiatives come as Denver restaurants face increasing labor and food costs and weekday foot traffic downtown below pre-pandemic levels, forcing several eateries to close over the last few years. However, there were twice as many new restaurant openings as there were closings last month, according to Westword. 

Restaurants are important retail tenants, especially as consumers continue to shop online rather than in person. Restaurants are one of four retail tenant types expanding across the U.S., according to JLL’s first-quarter retail report.

Restaurants are just one industry the DPO is working to help. 

The DPO was established in April 2024 to streamline coordination across city departments and get permits approved within 180 days of city time. The department reached this goal, adding that it has completed 88% of permit reviews on time this year — up from 77.6% last year, the DBJ reported.