Snooze Continues to Dominate the Brunch Scene With the Debut of a New Location in Baker

On November 16, locally born chain Snooze an A.M. Eatery will debut its thirteenth location in Colorado, at 101 Broadway, in the 100-year-old First Avenue Hotel building, which has been vacant since 2013.

Founding brothers Adam and John Schlegel opened the first Snooze in 2006 in the Ballpark neighborhood. Now with 55 locations across the U.S. in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas, Snooze is a nationwide brunch institution. Although Texas now has more Snooze outposts than Colorado, chief marketing officer Andrew Jaffe says the company is happy to be expanding in its home state and has plans to continue growing locally, with a location slated to open in Arvada next year.

Following COVID-19 and the pandemic pivot, Snooze has seen significant growth at a time when other restaurants struggled and shuttered. Jaffe attributes the eatery's success to several factors, most notably its support of local and national nonprofits through financial and in-kind donations.

“The post-pandemic world shifted to a value-based mindset,” says Jaffe. “People want to work for companies that are having a positive impact and that are more mission-driven, and guests want that as well.” From the beginning, Snooze has dedicated 1 percent of all sales to nonprofits, with $1 million donated in 2021 and a projected 1.4 million by the end of 2022. The new location’s first neighborhood partners are Urban Peak and Heart & Hand — two local nonprofits that focus on serving underprivileged youth.

Nationally, Snooze maintains a partnership with No Kid Hungry to address issues of food insecurity. It also partners with the Trevor Project, which provides mental health resources to the LGBTQ community.
“The mantra within our four walls, that runs deep in our culture, is this idea that a stack of pancakes can change the world,” says Jaffe. "The larger is the why — wanting to have a positive impact on the world, our Snoozers' lives and our guests' lives.”

In addition to providing a healthy work environment and promoting a work-life balance for “Snoozers,” as its employees are called, Snooze has focused its efforts on its larger environmental impact, specifically trash diversion and composting. “We have aspirations of having 100 percent of our waste diverted from landfills,” notes Jaffe. “We aren’t there yet, but we’re approaching that.”

“At the onset of COVID, we turned into a delivery service overnight, but we also realized the impact as it relates to the environment with the gas and packaging,” Jaffe continues. Because of this, Snooze partnered with a nonprofit to offset its carbon footprint. And the company has planted over 8,000 trees through its One Tree, One Snoozer program.

The environmental and social impact may have a certain appeal for employees and customers alike, but ultimately what keeps people coming back is the food. Mainstays like the pancake flight, O.M.G. French toast and several versions of eggs Benedict are on the menu at Snooze locations across the country, and the newest addition is no exception. Guests can expect to see the tried-and-true staples, as well as unique creations like the pancake of the week, which is hand-created by Snoozers.

“We try to put a twist on everything we do from the culinary standpoint by being mindful of what’s happening out there in the world of food,” Jaffe explains. “Our chefs try to balance between having fun, creative food as well as having food that’s culturally relevant in terms of what folks are eating today, from healthy plant-based options to the habanero pork belly Benedict, to fun cocktails.”

At the Baker location's soft opening November 12 and 13, 100 percent of sales was donated to its two community partners — $4,310 for the Heart & Hand Center and $2,712 for Urban Peak.

Beginning November 16, the new Snooze will be open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and right now, you can eat your way through its seasonal menu of pumpkin-flavored everything, from pancakes to martinis.

Whether you're visiting for the food or the social aspect is bringing you in, you're supporting Snooze's mission. “All these other things that we do ladder up to having that positive impact in the world. As we continue to grow, what we’re excited about is that our ability to [have an] impact continues to grow,” Jaffe concludes.

And grow it will: Along with Arvada, Snooze is also planning new locations in Houston and Las Vegas, as well as expansion to new markets in 2023.