Troy Guard to open wine bar in lobby of Republic Plaza

It’s a Done Deal.

Troy Guard, owner of Denver-based TAG Restaurant Group, has inked a deal to open a wine bar with that name in the Republic Plaza lobby at 370 17th St.

“So many deals are done in that building and so many people celebrate after they get a deal done, so, Done Deal,” Guard said.

Guard said the building’s owner, New York-based Brookfield, approached him about the space, specifically desiring a wine lounge that would lure those working above and in surrounding buildings.

“With COVID, a lot of people are working from home — some are coming back, some aren’t,” Guard said. “Most landlords want an amenity for the building.”

This will be Guard’s second concept in Denver’s tallest building. He opened Bubu, his quick-service noodle bowl restaurant, there in 2016. And his steakhouse Guard and Grace operates in the office tower at 1801 California St., which Brookfield also owns.

Guard said Bubu has done well in Republic Plaza, so he decided to give the wine bar a shot. Its space was previously used by a bank.

“I think people are going to come back downtown,” Guard said. “People still want to get out and meet clients.”

The bar will offer a variety of wine, cocktails, champagne and craft beers. Guard said it won’t have a full menu, but offer small bites like charcuterie boards, salads and shrimp cocktail.

“The main goal is to be a great amenity, just like we did with Guard and Grace,” Guard said. “From there we’re building our clientele and our following, that’s really what we want to do again.”

Guard said the only major construction will be building a custom bar; he anticipates opening Oct. 1. The entire lounge will have 75 seats, 25 of which will be outside.

“I think if we can do a good job we might be able to do a hundred more of them in all the Brookfields, who knows,” Guard said. “It’s an economical build … It’s a great idea. I think it’ll do well.”

The 56-story Republic Plaza building has about 62,000 square feet of dedicated retail space. Other tenants include Starbucks, Potbelly and The Delectable Egg. The city recently leased three floors near the top of the tower to be used by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

TAG Restaurant Group, which Guard founded in 2009, currently has 11 locations open across four concepts. Along with Bubu and Guard and Grace, they are HashTAG and Los Chingones.

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This story was reported by our partner BusinessDen.