When chef Lon Symensma opened his fine-dining French restaurant in 2018, “it was initially a great idea,” he said. But six years later, the ongoing reconstruction of the 16th Street Mall has taken the light out of Bistro LeRoux’s chandeliers and champagne service.
Symensma and business partner Christopher Davis-Massey permanently closed Bistro LeRoux, 1510 16th St. Mall, last week.
“Downtown Denver went from a thriving market, where there was tons of foot traffic and great walk-in business to a no man’s land with high taxes, high rent and very little return on what you’re paying for,” Symensma said. “The last thing anything wants in downtown Denver’s construction site with no foot traffic is a fancy French restaurant.”
The city is in the midst of a $172.5 million overhaul of the pedestrian walkway, which has had many delays and isn’t expected to be completed until next year at the earliest.
Making it even more difficult for Symensma and Davis-Massey is that have two other concepts on the same block as Bistro LeRoux: the groundbreaking, 14-year-old modern Asian restaurant Cholon, and YumCha Dumpling & Noodle Bar, which opened in the same building in 2021.
“We were initially going to have this trio of concepts in a super heavily pedestrian area pre-COVID when Union Station and 16th Street Mall were open,” Symensma said. “But standing outside of Bistro LeRoux now surrounded by jackhammers and bulldozers, there’s no reason anyone would want to come to this location.”
Even Cholon’s sales are “considerably down, he added. Although, the upscale restaurant, known for its French-onion soup dumplings, has been able to support itself due to its familiar brand and longtime supporters, “who go out of their way just to get to us,” he added.
YumCha, which shares a kitchen with Bistro LeRoux, will continue to operate as usual, but Symensma said he’ll “either have to pivot and rebrand Bistro LeRoux or lose both concepts.”
That possibility could be high since Symensma said he’s “not thrilled” about trying to keep it open. “You have a greater chance of success by not being in downtown Denver,” he said. That’s why his restaurant group recently debuted Gusto, an Italian concept, next door to a third ChoLon location across the street from Sloan’s Lake in March. (ChoLon will also open at Denver International Airport in October.
“I have a lot of great things to focus my energy on, rather than trying to keep a restaurant open that’s breaking even or losing money every month,” Symensma said. “I’d rather put investment forward on what is going to take us to the next level as a company.”
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