Is RiNo Food Hall Zeppelin Station Extinct?

Copyright Westword

Empty stalls and zero customers are what we found on a recent Monday at Zeppelin Station, the RiNo food hall that debuted at 3501 Wazee Street in 2018. Once a bustling spot, the building now resembles a ghost town, housing just one food vendor, Uptown & Humboldt, along with med spa Lash and Company RiNo. The Zeppelin Station sign has been removed from above the front door, and no website exists for the building. “I think something major has to happen. I hope it does,” says Uptown & Humboldt co-owner Gio Diaz. “I think a lot of people were really excited that could have been” with Clever Girl, he adds, referring to the dino-themed takeover of the space that was announced in February. But the dinos never showed up. Zeppelin Station was originally owned by Zeppelin Development, which was behind the resurrection of an old RiNo spot into the Source Hotel + Market Hall; the company sold that building in 2022. That same year, Zeppelin Station debuted a reboot, introducing several new food stalls that brought new energy to the space. But that momentum didn’t last long as the property ran into some bigger issues. In 2019, Zeppelin Development took a $32 million loan from Wells Fargo for Zeppelin Station, which the bank says was in default since 2021. While Zeppelin Development attempted to fight Wells Fargo’s request to put the property into receivership, Denver District Court Judge J. Eric Elliff ultimately appointed the Stapleton Group as receiver for the building in the spring of 2024, giving it control of the food hall. Later that year, the Stapleton Group brought in Josh Schmitz to operate Halloween and Christmas pop-ups in the space, which he says led to the opportunity to take over the entire food hall. Schmitz is the founder of Handsome Boys Hospitality, which rapidly opened a number of bar-forward concepts in 2021. But after a recent shift in that group, Schmitz has moved away from the Handsome Boys moniker, becoming Ruckus Hospitality, which currently includes the bars Ghost and Disco Pig in Larimer Square. “Imagine Rainforest Cafe, but instead of giraffes and gorillas, it’s animatronic dinosaurs,” Schmitz told Westword in February of his big plans to rebrand Zeppelin Station as Clever Girl. Those plans never came to fruition, however. According to BusinessDen, the idea was scrapped after an investor Schmitz “expected to finance his $1.4 million build-out of the food hall as Clever Girl backed out after learning the property was in receivership.” Now, the Stapleton Group has listed the building, which also houses offices on its upper floors, including the headquarters of ski giant Alterra, for sale with JLL. “With a diverse tenant mix occupying 67 percent of the building and a move-in-ready food hall with multiple bars, 3501 Wazee represents a compelling investment,” the listing reads. “This property can be acquired at a substantial discount to replacement cost and presents an immediate opportunity for operational upside in one of Denver’s most dynamic neighborhoods.” Last month, Sushi Kuro closed its stall at the food hall, leaving Uptown & Humboldt as the lone remaining food option — and Diaz says he’s gotten no communication about the future plans for Zeppelin Station from JLL, which is now managing the building. JLL has not responded to requests for comment from Westword, either. Despite the rough road at Zeppelin Station, Diaz remains optimistic about the future of Uptown & Humboldt. It’s being rebranded as the simpler U&H (“Uptown & Humboldt is a mouthful,” he notes), and the team just purchased a second food truck. The concept is also actively looking for a space of its own, while continuing to dish out fare at Zeppelin Station — at least until it’s told to stop. “We’re so grateful for the way Denver has responded to us and the way we’ve built a community and culture within our own city,” Diaz concludes. “And this, too, shall pass. It’s just one of those things that, when we look back at this, we’ll be like, holy moly. I can’t believe we went through this.”