Wazee Supper Club has been operating in Denver for over four decades, but come January 2018 the iconic downtown restaurant will close its doors. However, that won’t be the end of the historic space. The team behind popular restaurants including Señor Bear, Bar Dough, and Highland Tap and Burger is taking over 1600 15th Street and transforming it into a “contemporary, free-spirited French restaurant,” called Morin.
“It’s a changing of the guard, so to speak,” said Dan Shipp, one of the owners of Roadhouse Hospitality, the restaurant group that took over ownership of Wazee back in 2015. With plans to open in spring 2018, Juan Padro, Max Mackissock, and Katie O’Shea of Denver’s Culinary Creative Group will overhaul the space with the help of Denver developer and preservationist Charlie Woolley.
“We’re looking forward to honoring Wazee Supper Club’s heritage and carrying the torch, becoming a part of the historic, yet ever-changing Lodo neighborhood,” said Padro.
Morin is inspired by and named after Mackissock’s mother and French heritage. The cuisine is said to be modern French, offering refined, inventive food, including a menu of classic dishes as well as riffs on French cuisine with seasonal and French ingredients.
“The reason I started cooking was because of my Memere and my mom and our French heritage, which really showed me the cultural influence of food,” said Mackissock. “As I grew older, I continued to love French food and culture, and have had the opportunity to cook at and experience the restaurants that were more casual, had more progressive cuisine, and a variety of fun combinations that you don’t typically think of as being ‘French.’ This is the idea behind Morin and I think the space – between the bustling neighborhood on 15th and Wazee and historic charm of one of Denver’s most iconic restaurants and buildings – really match that perfectly.”
Wazee Supper Club will close this in January according to Shipp. The group plans to have festive final months with events and a big blow out party for the closing.
“It’ll be more of a celebration than a funeral,” said Shipp.
Wazee Supper Club is located at 1600 15th Street, Denver.
Editor’s note: the headline was updated to reflect the specific owners instead of their relationship to the restaurant Señor Bear.