St. Louis Fast-Casual Spot Comes to Colorado with Two Locations

Crushed Red Urban Bake & Chop Shop, a chop-to-order salad and pizza chain will expand beyond St. Louis as it makes its way to Denver to open its first of several locations in the Denver Tech Center by May. The concept emerged in 2012 from industry veteran Chris LaRocca (known for his St. Louis area EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery) and father-son team Ralph Kalish, Jr. and Powell Kalish.

The eatery serves organic dressed salads topped with colorful ingredients and pizzas with crispy whole grain crusts and organic tomato sauce. Urban craft salad highlights include the Wild Spring Salon and the Cowpoke Smoke, with sirloin steak and jalapeño straws on a bed of field greens and drizzled with Goddess dressing. For the pizzas, standouts such as the Sriracha Chicken or Shrimp and Artichoke are met with create-your-own-masterpiece options.

With urban-eclectic decor, the new spot will be located on the ground floor of MileHouse, a new apartment located near Belleview and I-25. The expansion is part of a six-restaurant franchise agreement that calls for openings in the Denver market over a five-year period. The second Colorado location is planned for Orchard Town Center in Westminster this summer.