Tracks Innovated From Nightlife to RiNo Eats

Tracks celebrated their last night open for 2020 with Daniela’s Drag Queen Cabaret on Thursday, November 19 with a bittersweet farewell, as indoor dining closure went into effect again. It was a tough year, but the Tracks team was able to join together to innovate their business model and safely join the community during trying times.

For the last 40 years, Tracks has been a staple in the Denver community as the go-to LGBTQ nightlife destination offering a multi-room experience featuring international talent to local favorites. After closing for the lockdowns in March, they innovated their business to fit new guidelines for their reopening in late June.

Partnering up with neighborhood favorites, they revamped their alleyway and outdoor space, calling it Rino Eats. Tracks used their restaurant license to operate as a safe outdoor dining experience, partnering with food options like Fish and Beer, Cabana X, Hop Alley, Miller and Rossi, and Pericos Tacos.

Production Manager Asya Toney said going from a nightclub to a restaurant-style business was hectic at first, but her team came together and figured out the best way to move forward in their new roles as servers and food bussers. After two weeks, it was smooth sailing, and the community response was better than they hoped.

“Our greatest challenge was staying true to our brand and who we are, and the crowd who really made Tracks what it was, but also finding new and innovative ways to bring in new crowds to stay alive,” Toney says. “With us going from being a nightclub to a restaurant, the same people who were here every weekend can’t come every day of the week. We had to be really inclusive and find all types of entertainment for all types of people.”

They launched a craft cocktail menu, opened for brunch and daytime hours, and hosted seated events like drag bingo, jazz night, and pumpkin carving. On Sundays, they hosted Ladies Beer Bust and even donated all the proceeds to local charities like We Are Family and The Women’s Bean Project.

“It was a nice way to give back to the community and to give people who have been stuck at home something safe and exciting to come out for,” Toney says.

From poetry slams to live vocalists, they experimented with a variety of events all summer. They even hosted football viewing parties. Their viewing parties brought out a rowdy crowd, reminiscent of the club days, but everyone was overall respectful and understood the rules of social distancing and masks.

“None of us who work here knew anything about football, but we’re like, ‘OK, we got this!’ And it ended up being super fun!”

Their ‘we-got-this’ spirit has them looking toward the future, as Tracks has plans for reopening when local regulations allow, and when they can make the experience safe again. Toney ends with, “We want to thank the Denver community’s continued love of Tracks and support. This is not goodbye forever; it’s just ‘We’ll see you later!’”