Colfax staple Tom’s Diner is for sale

One of Denver’s most iconic diners could be changing hands soon.

After 20 years of business, Colfax late-night staple Tom’s Diner is for sale.

Tom Messina, the greasy spoon’s owner and namesake, put the diner on the market late last year. The half-acre lot is listed at $4.8 million.

In Denver’s hot real estate market, it’s no surprise that the land has already attracted some serious offers. Messina said he’s been approached by two developers interested in building housing on the land, which is zoned for residential and commercial use.

But if Messina gets his way, Tom’s will be a diner for years to come. “It would make me happy to see someone come in and keep the ball rolling and enjoy a busy and successful restaurant.”

While Denver’s hot real estate market nudged Messina toward selling — “The numbers work,” he said — it isn’t just about money. With 40 years in the restaurant industry behind him and his 60th birthday ahead, Messina said he’s ready for a new challenge, likely in a new industry.

“Or maybe sitting on the couch and eating Bon Bons,” he joked. “Does that count?”

After Messina graduated high school in Long Island, N.Y., he moved to Florida, where he learned the ins and outs of the hospitality business through shifts at restaurants and hotels.

He moved to Denver in 1999. After a short stint as the manager of the then newly opened Gothic Theatre, he decided to rent The Sun Diner that year. (As evidenced by its retro-futurist Googie architecture, it was a part of Denver’s White Spot diner chain before that — a lineage it shares with Denver Diner.) He named it Tom’s Diner, eventually buying the plot in 2003.

Colfax has changed since then. But according to Messina, business is booming. It doesn’t hurt that Tom’s 24-hour diner is smack dab between East Colfax and Capitol Hill, a stretch with three major music venues between it and dozens of smaller clubs and bars. “We have lines out the door at 3 a.m.”

Reminiscing about the space over a cup of coffee, Messina emphasizes he’s in no rush to sell. But even in 24-hour diners, time marches on.

“There will be some sellers remorse when the time comes,” he said. “I’ll wake up in the morning and say ‘Where do I go?’ Especially for breakfast.”

[Read More …]