Troy Guard and the TAG Restaurant Group announced their first food vendor at Grange Hall, the upcoming food hall and micro-brewery: The Crack Shack. Troy Guard and his partners on this project, Kevin Hawkins and Ken Himel, are working to transform the nearly 13,000 square-foot space into a community focused place to gather, eat and play—and gourmet fried chicken is the first of several exciting concepts coming to the space. Grange Hall is anticipated to open later this summer.
The Crack Shack was originally concepted and founded by Michael Rosen in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood in 2015, as a passion project to transform the pristine, local ingredients from his fine dining restaurant, Juniper and Ivy, into a more accessible, casual setting for the masses.
Culinary Director Jon Sloan and his kitchen teams craft both the chicken and the egg for guests to enjoy with reckless abandon and the assurance that folks are savoring every bite of locally raised, free-living chickens without a care or antibiotic in them–just as they should be. At the forefront of the fried chicken sandwich craze, The Crack Shack originated “SoCal Style” fried chicken using non-GMO, “beyond free range” birds fresh from Jidori Farm, and a secret proprietary “Crack Spice” blend from Le Sanctuaire. While the Bone-In is the signature staple, the menu boasts big messy sandwiches packed with homemade sauces and local produce, fresh and hearty bowls for the healthy-ish at heart, and a Lil’ Cluckers menu the kiddos will love and the grown-ups can feel good about serving.
The six “coops” across SoCal and Las Vegas (with plans to expand to 40+ locations across the nation within the next two years) were built for fun, with whimsical, chicken-inspired artwork, lawn games, and full bars featuring craft cocktails, wines and local beers.
Says Guard, “I tried The Crack Shack years ago in San Diego and of course thought it was some damn good chicken! I love their vibe, their food, the name – I love how much fun they are having making such quality food. It really fits with everything we are hoping for at Grange Hall. I think folks in Denver are going to be super excited to get their hands on one of these chicken sandwiches!”
The Crack Shack team is equally excited to be making their Denver debut. Says, Dan Pena, Director of Operations, on the expansion, “Denver is such a cool, down to earth city with a strong culinary scene, so it felt like a natural fit. Being in the food hall allows us to slowly introduce ourselves to a community we can’t wait to be a part of, while we finalize additional leases in the market.”
As with all of The Crack Shack locations, the kitchen will source all ingredients locally from boutique farms and artisan bakeries while the décor will feature quintessential Denver touches. The limited menu will feature The Crack Shack’s best-selling sandwiches and sides, plus a few items developed exclusively for the Grange Hall location.
