No Smashburger Location for the Former Venue Space in the Highlands Square

The restaurant space located at 3609 W. 32nd Avenue, formerly home of Venue Bistro, has been the target of speculations as far as a new tenant for months. One of the loudest rumors around town and in the Highlands neighborhood was that Smashburger, a locally-based burger chain, was planning a new location in that space. That is not happening. The team at Smashburger put an end to the rumors today. "It is a great space and we did look at it," said Stacie Lange, a spokesperson for Smashburger. "However, it does not meet our current real estate criteria, so we passed on it," she added.

The other rumor is that Gypsy Kitchen, the full-on restaurant iteration of a pop-up dinner concept, would occupy the former Venue spot. Chef Jon Robbins, formerly of Mizuna, who is behind the Gypsy Kitchen concept, has confirmed that he is close to inking a deal for a location, but he has yet to release details on where that may be. Stay tuned.

· Jon Robbins Is Expanding Gypsy Kitchen Into a Restaurant [EDen]
· Highlands Square Is Changing: Anthony's Pizza Shuttered [EDen]
· Matador to Open in the Former Heidi's Space [EDen]
· Ink! Coffee Will Occupy Common Grounds Space [EDen]
· Venue Closes Its Doors Quietly [EDen]