Sage Restaurant Group (SRG), the Denver-based independent restaurant group dedicated to providing innovative, playful, and locally focused food and beverage experiences, announces its plans to expand nationwide with five new restaurants, including one entirely new barbecue-focused concept.
Construction is set to begin next month with the first restaurant opening in early 2016.
With the success of the new Urban Farmer Cleveland, SRG's first multi-concept brand, the group confirms an additional Urban Farmer location will be among the first wave of openings: one in Philadelphia and another in a yet-unspecified location.
With the expansion of the Urban Farmer brand comes a promotion for Chef Matt Christianson from Executive Chef of the original Urban Farmer in Portland to Culinary Director of the Urban Farmer brand.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of overseeing Urban Farmer's local and seasonally-driven menus in a variety of markets," says Christianson. "Urban Farmer's mission continues to focus on nose-to-tail presentations of high-quality meats, paired with soul-nurturing sides that are at once inventive and approachable."
SRG continues the success of two other brands within its portfolio, Kachina Southwestern Grill and Departure Restaurant + Lounge, by opening second iterations of each in Denver in 2016.
A barbecue-focused restaurant is in the works for Fort Collins, Colorado, in late 2016.
"We've learned a lot since the day we opened our very first restaurant about what really resonates with diners in today's marketplace," SRG co-founder and COO Peter Karpinski says. "The knowledge has allowed us to be more strategic in how we evolve our brands in order to grow successfully."
