Platt Park restaurant reopens after all with new focus on dinner crowd
BusinessDen file)
Four months ago, Sam Armatas decided it was time for Devour The 303 to shut down for good.
The American-style restaurant at 1135 E. Evans Ave., which debuted at the edge of Platt Park in 2018, was hardly breaking even without dine-in customers, and Armatas said he was dealing with some family health issues throughout the pandemic.
He announced on social media in December that he was permanently closing Devour The 303 and his adjacent dessert and ice cream cafe, The Sweet Spot, which was added last March.
“I don’t think anyone in this industry thought we could just be shut down,” Armatas said. “If you were built for delivery, you thrived. But for those of us built for in-house service, it was almost impossible to break even. So, it made sense to close down completely knowing how much we were losing.”
Platt Park restaurant preparing to reopen after closing in December thedenverchannel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedenverchannel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sam s No. 3 received an early Christmas lump of coal from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment on December 10, in the form of a placard on the front door closing down the diner because of supposed violations of COVID-related outdoor seating. That seating was on a temporary enclosed patio that the restaurant says was adequately ventilated but the city disagreed after seeing customers dining at two tables in the area.
The closure didn t last long, though. Sam Armatas, co-owner and grandson of the Sam Armatas who opened the original Sam s No. 3 in 1927, says he has been working with the health department all day to come to an agreement that would allow his restaurant to reopen. And the department listened; here s the statement they sent us at 3:19 p.m. December 11:
COVID-based air circulation rules and the difference between what's considered indoor versus outdoor seating caused the City of Denver to shut down Sam's No. 3, one of downtown's most celebrated diners.
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and last updated 2020-12-18 13:51:21-05
For many restaurants, like Sam s No. 3 in downtown Denver, the experience is part of what they serve.
âWe were built to serve people inside,â said Sam Armatas, owner of the restaurant.
But with ever-changing COVID-19-related dining restrictions and winter looming, delivery is becoming a more enticing option for customers. And for Samâs No. 3, delivery apps make that easy.
âWeâre able to continue to serve our product, try and stay relevant as far as people eating our food,â Armatas said.