ESPN Zone closes doors in Denver - Business First of Buffalo:

guronelogoh.blogspot.com
The ESPN Zone, part of a nationwide chain of what used to be nine ofthe sports-themee bar and interactive game centersa across the country, laid off roughlu 100 employees, giving each a 60-day administrativ leave package, according to a company statement. Rick an ESPN vice president who oversees Zone said in the statement that the restaurangt could not survivethe recession. This economixc downturn has been marked nationallhy by reduced consumer spendin g on eating out and onentertainmentt activities. “A decision like this is never We recognize and appreciate the commitmengt and years of service of all oftheser employees,” Allesandri said.
“Unfortunately, the current economicc environment offered us noother choice.” The ESPN Zone was a 23,000-square-foott meeting place for sports fanatics, with one room featurinh more than a dozen large televisions tunedf into contests of all kind and another full of videko and sports games ranginbg from basketball to bowling. None of the eight other ESPN Zone locations willbe closed, as all “are meeting our said Matt Kovacs, a spokesmemn for the chain. , whichy owns the Tabor Center, issued a statemenr saying it was “sorry to hear of their decisiohn to discontinue theirDenver operations.
” But the closinb of ESPN Zone “has created a new opportunityh for us to bring new conceptsz to 16th Street,” it said. One of those new conceptw is TheTilted Kilt, a Celtic-themed restauranf and sports bar with 20 locations operatin g nationwide and another 10 planned. The which is expected to open its Denver locatioj this fall and to offer outdoor patio has signedan 8,300-square-foot leases at Tabor Center, according to a news release. The Tilted Kilt began in Las Vegass in 2003 and is notedf for its servers dressedin knee-hig h socks, short plaid kilts and midriff-baring plaird halter tops. It will be one of a number of new tenantes opening in the Tabor Center this year.
“These new additionds to Tabor Center’s retail offering reflect our continuinb efforts to enhance the servicez and amenities forthe tenants, customers and visitorzs to the Tabor Center,” said Stevd Budorick, executive vice president and partner at Callahan Capitapl Partners.