Safieddine plans restaurant in Lodo building bought last year
Francois Safieddine is staying busy.
The Denver restaurateur behind concepts like ViewHouse and the recently opened Wonder + Yard is planning a Mexican restaurant in a Lodo building he bought last September.
According to a liquor and dance cabaret license application submitted to the city, Safieddine intends to open a M exican r estaurant at 1620 Wazee St. He bought t he 6 ,400- squarefoot b uilding, w hich w as home t o BD’S Mongolian Grill for 25 y ears, in September for $ 2 million.
Safieddeine’s restaurant group, L otus Concepts, a lready operates a Mexican concept, My Neighbor Felix, which has multiple locations. The license application gives no indication whether the Lodo space would be used for that or something different. Safieddine did not respond to requests for comment.
Safieddine has a lot in the works. A block away from the former BD’S space, at 1525 Blake St., h is c ompany i s opening a restaurant dubbed Noble. He bought that property — formerly the Mexican restaurant Rio Grande — in 2022 for $ 6.3 million.
And last m onth, Lotus Concepts submitted plans to the city that indicate Safieddine is opening a new concept i n Rino at 3458 Walnut St., a property he bought in May 2023 for $ 3 million. Plans bear the name Tulum, which is a c ity in Mexico, although it’s not clear that would be t he name of t he venue.
Safieddine a lso recently dropped a n on- compete lawsuit he filed against the co- owner o f Lohi M exican restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, who used to work for him.
At a public hearing l ast month about 1620 Wazee St., three people spoke in favor of granting the licenses for Safieddine’s new Mexican restaurant, while two opposed it. Safieddine also received 43 signatures from nearby b usinesses owners in support of the liquor l icense, and 42 in support of the dance cabaret license, which would allow the restaurant to have live music and dancing.
Safieddine clarified at the meeting that the restaurant would only sometimes hold live music, and it would not have a dance floor or allow dancing.
Thierry Rignol, owner of the Nativ Hotel, w hich i s next t o Safieddine’s building, w as o ne o f the community members t o speak against the application. Rignol said he was not opposed because of the added competition the restaurant would bring, but over concerns the space could become an all week nightclub. Rignol was one of eight neighbors who also signed a petition against the licenses.
City documents t hat include detailed m inutes o f the hearing state Safieddine “feels he i s being unfairly maligned and that the opposition is ironic because the Nativ Hotel has a Dance Cabaret License … without any apparent neighborhood opposition.”
Safieddine a lso emphasized at the meeting that his concept would be a restaurant, not a bar or nightclub, and would make most of its money from food sales.
The Department of Excise and Licenses recommended approval of both the liquor and dance cabaret licenses, but the final decision will be up to Molly Duplechian, the department’s e xecutive d irector.