DENVER — Turns out, the original Quiznos isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Franchisees Adam Sinnard, who owns that location and five others in metro Denver with husband Gavin Flynn, came to a deal to renew the lease at 1275 Grant St. in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The Grant Street location has been around since Jimmy Labatas first opened it in 1981.
Sinnard said when they purchased that Quiznos shop, there were two years left on the lease, and that the initial deal to renew included higher property taxes "that made it so we couldn't make it work," he said.
The store was marketed on LoopNet — a mobile and online real estate marketplace that aims to connect tenants and investors to commercial real estate available for sale and for lease — in February. It has since been removed.
"We talked to the landlord about renewing and worked out a deal," Sinnard said.
Sinnard said the location has struggled, with revenues dropping about 75%, since the start of public health orders that mandated restaurants to close in-person dining and provide only takeout and delivery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Grant Street location, he said, depends mostly on nearby executives working in downtown Denver, which turned into a "ghost town" following the March stay-at-home order that closed non-essential businesses.
"Our core business at that location is [nearby] businesses, that's why that location has been hit the most during this [crisis]," Sinnard said.
Sinnard, who started working for Quiznos as a college student, also owns locations at:
- East 45th Avenue & South Peoria Street in Denver
- Stapleton
- Broomfield
- Brighton
- Littleton
Sinnard said he and Flynn are optimistic for the future after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Monday announced the state's movement to the safer-at-home model, which allows offices to begin operating at 50% capacity in May.
"We are definitely complying with social distancing," Sinnard added. "We have tape and signage to remind people to keep some space. All employees are using face masks. We've upped sanitizing of things that get touched a lot — door handles, that kind of stuff."
"I'm hoping we get a clear understanding soon so we can start planning [for the future]," he added. "We're definitely prepared to do whatever."
Quiznos is a chain restaurant that creates toasted sandwiches. It has locations across the U.S. and 32 countries. Quiznos restaurants serve sandwiches, subs and salads.
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