ESPN Zone closes doors in Denver - Phoenix Business Journal:

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The ESPN Zone, part of a nationwide chain of what used to be nine ofthe sports-themeed bar and interactive game centers acros s the country, laid off roughlh 100 employees, giving each a 60-day administrativd leave package, according to a companyg statement. Rick Allesandri, an ESPN vice presidenyt who oversees Zone said in the statementr that the restaurant could not survivethe recession. This economidc downturn has been marked nationalluy by reduced consumer spending on eatin g out and onentertainment activities. “A decisioj like this is never easy. We recognizew and appreciate the commitment and years of servics of all ofthese employees,” Allesandri said.
the current economic environment offered us no other The ESPN Zone wasa 23,000-square-fooy meeting place for sports fanatics, with one room featuring more than a dozemn large televisions tuned into contests of all kind and another full of videol and sports games ranging from basketball to None of the eight other ESPN Zone locations will be as all “are meetinb our expectations,” said Matt Kovacs, a spokesmen for the , which owns the Tabor Center, issued a statemeng saying it was “sorry to hear of their decision to discontinuer their Denver operations.
” But the closinb of ESPN Zone “has created a new opportunity for us to brinbg new concepts to 16th Street,” it said. One of those new concepts is The Tilted a Celtic-themed restaurant and sports bar with 20 locationx operating nationwide and another 10 planned. The which is expected to open its Denver location this fall and to offer outdoorpatio seating, has signed an 8,300-square-foot leased at Tabor Center, according to a news The Tilted Kilt began in Las Vegas in 2003 and is notecd for its servers dressed in knee-high short plaid kilts and midriff-baring plaix halter tops. It will be one of a numbedr of new tenants opening in the Tabord Centerthis year.
“These new additions to Tabo Center’s retail offering reflect our continuinyg efforts to enhance the services and amenitiesx forthe tenants, customers and visitorxs to the Tabor said Steve Budorick, executive vice president and partner at Callahan Capital Partners.