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 Mexican restaurant at 1620 Wazee St. He bought the 6,400-square-foot building, which was home to BD’s Mongolian Grill for 25 years, in September for $2 million.
Safieddeine’s restaurant group, Lotus Concepts, already 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., his company is opening a restaurant dubbed Noble. He bought that property — formerly the Mexican restaurant Rio Grande — in 2022 for $6.3 million.
And last month, Lotus Concepts submitted plans to the city that indicate Safieddine is opening a new concept in RiNo at 3458 Walnut St., a property he bought in May 2023 for $3 million. Plans bear the name Tulum, which is a city in Mexico, although it’s not clear that would be the name of the venue.
Safieddine also recently dropped a non-compete lawsuit he filed against the co-owner of LoHi Mexican restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, who used to work for him.
At a public hearing last 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 businesses owners in support of the liquor license, 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, which is next to Safieddine’s building, was one of the community members to 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 that include detailed minutes of the hearing state Safieddine “feels he is being unfairly maligned and that the opposition is ironic because the Nativ Hotel has a Dance Cabaret License … without any apparent neighborhood opposition.”
Safieddine also 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 executive director.