Colorado's restaurant industry is satisfying an appetite for growth

A growing economy appears to have made Coloradans more hungry to eat out. Food and drinking establishments account for about one out of five net new jobs added in the state this year.

And the industry's 6.2 percent job growth rate in Colorado this year is the fastest of any state and the strongest here since 1995, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"When people have jobs, they have more disposable income. And when they have more disposable income, they go out to eat," said Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

Food-service employment through the first nine months of the year rose by 12,460 positions from the first nine months of 2013, and about 7,060 of those new jobs came in the metro Denver area.

Restaurant marketing consultant John Imbergamo said he has noticed that new restaurant openings versus closings this year are running three to one and, in some months, four to one.

"We are seeing some restaurateurs who have one restaurant opening their second or those with two opening their third," he said.

Union Station's redevelopment alone brought 10 new restaurants to the market in a 30-day span this past summer, and new eateries continue to pop up in places such as the River North Art District, along Colfax Avenue and in suburban pockets such as Northglenn's Webster Lake Promenade.

Chef and entrepreneur Jennifer Jasinski, a client of Imbergamo's, hired 80 people when she opened a Union Station eatery called Stoic & Genuine. Despite a mile-high altitude, the seafood venue serves everything from Black River Oscietra caviar to loaded lobster rolls.

Jasinski said finding qualified staff, especially in the kitchen, proved much more difficult this time around than it was when she opened Euclid Hall four years ago.

"Being a cook is hard work and not glamorous, and all the skilled cooks are having an easy time getting work," Jasinski said.

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Colorado's restaurant industry is satisfying an appetite for growth