Andrew Hodd, co-owner of LOB, holds one of the game balls during the grand opening of his new location last week. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Backyard bocce ball has landed on Blake Street.
On Friday, while the Colorado Rockies played their home opener, LOB had an opening of its own two blocks away.
“We’re trying to bring the outdoors, indoors,” said co-owner Andrew Hodd, 46.
LOB combines the classic lawn game of bocce with a mini-golf-like course, charging $18 for a nine-hole course. Each participant gets two balls for each “hole” and has to throw them, one by one, as close as they can to a stake at the end of the track. The closer to the stake, the more points.
Each track has its own set of obstacles, such as curves and bumps. A gutter on the sides of the course which will set you back a point should your ball land there. Using your throw to knock competitors’ balls to less favorable positions is encouraged.
The bar and restaurant area of LOB. Food offerings range from small appetizers such as nachos and fries to sandwiches and burgers. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
“The beauty in it is the engineering and the construction of the track,” Hodd said. Three different kinds of turf are used throughout the course to make the game more dynamic.
LOB, which stands for “Love of Bocce,” opened in Toronto in 2018. The spot at 1755 Blake St. is the company’s second location.
“This one is way more polished,” Hodd said. “The location is prime.”
The 12,500-square-foot space cost $3.8 million to build out, Hodd said. It includes a bar and restaurant, a small pro shop and the nine-hole course. The Toronto space location is smaller, at 10,000 square feet, and located underground.
“Here (in Denver) we have beautiful space along a main drag,” Hodd said.
Hodd, who started as the food and beverage operator for the Toronto location before taking partial ownership in January 2019, said it’s a game you can play with a drink in hand.
The venue’s menu is inspired by backyard barbecues. An indoor smoker that sits underneath a hood makes what he calls “sneaky good barbecue.”
Their draft beers will set you back $8, with most entrees going between $15 and $20. Hodd said its McLOB chicken sandwich and LOB burger are some of its most popular menu items.
The spot is open evenings and most afternoons six days a week, with Monday reserved for private events.
Although anyone can play the game, Hodd said his target demographic is young, urban, millennial professionals.
These “yumps” contribute to the many corporate events and parties that take place, which account for about half of the business, Hodd said.
The nine-hole LOB course, as seen in its new Blake Street location. The closer your ball lands to the white stake, the more points you earn. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
At first, Hodd and his business partners, wife Michelle and Grant Mclaughlin, targeted Dallas for LOB’s second spot. That changed when he “wasn’t having much luck because it was growing so fast and it was so competitive to find the right property for us.”
Denver was floated as another choice, and Hodd was introduced to Clay Jones of Newmark, who helped him sign a lease for the Blake Street space. LoDo was chosen due to its central location and demographic mix.
“What the city has done with LoDo is very impressive,” he said. “We’re impressed with Union Station, the mall and the proximity to Coors Field.”
Hodd hired Snyder Building Construction to build the space. Kestrel Design Group served as architect. And Jack Ballenger, formerly general manager at Thirsty Lion Gastropub near Union Station, was tapped to be general manager last August.
And while there’s not specific plans for a third iteration of the concept, Hodd said LOB’s model is scalable and repeatable.
“It’s a super urban concept,” Hodd said. “You can take a game like LOB and put it (in any) downtown.”
Andrew Hodd, co-owner of LOB, holds one of the game balls during the grand opening of his new location last week. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Backyard bocce ball has landed on Blake Street.
On Friday, while the Colorado Rockies played their home opener, LOB had an opening of its own two blocks away.
“We’re trying to bring the outdoors, indoors,” said co-owner Andrew Hodd, 46.
LOB combines the classic lawn game of bocce with a mini-golf-like course, charging $18 for a nine-hole course. Each participant gets two balls for each “hole” and has to throw them, one by one, as close as they can to a stake at the end of the track. The closer to the stake, the more points.
Each track has its own set of obstacles, such as curves and bumps. A gutter on the sides of the course which will set you back a point should your ball land there. Using your throw to knock competitors’ balls to less favorable positions is encouraged.
The bar and restaurant area of LOB. Food offerings range from small appetizers such as nachos and fries to sandwiches and burgers. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
“The beauty in it is the engineering and the construction of the track,” Hodd said. Three different kinds of turf are used throughout the course to make the game more dynamic.
LOB, which stands for “Love of Bocce,” opened in Toronto in 2018. The spot at 1755 Blake St. is the company’s second location.
“This one is way more polished,” Hodd said. “The location is prime.”
The 12,500-square-foot space cost $3.8 million to build out, Hodd said. It includes a bar and restaurant, a small pro shop and the nine-hole course. The Toronto space location is smaller, at 10,000 square feet, and located underground.
“Here (in Denver) we have beautiful space along a main drag,” Hodd said.
Hodd, who started as the food and beverage operator for the Toronto location before taking partial ownership in January 2019, said it’s a game you can play with a drink in hand.
The venue’s menu is inspired by backyard barbecues. An indoor smoker that sits underneath a hood makes what he calls “sneaky good barbecue.”
Their draft beers will set you back $8, with most entrees going between $15 and $20. Hodd said its McLOB chicken sandwich and LOB burger are some of its most popular menu items.
The spot is open evenings and most afternoons six days a week, with Monday reserved for private events.
Although anyone can play the game, Hodd said his target demographic is young, urban, millennial professionals.
These “yumps” contribute to the many corporate events and parties that take place, which account for about half of the business, Hodd said.
The nine-hole LOB course, as seen in its new Blake Street location. The closer your ball lands to the white stake, the more points you earn. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
At first, Hodd and his business partners, wife Michelle and Grant Mclaughlin, targeted Dallas for LOB’s second spot. That changed when he “wasn’t having much luck because it was growing so fast and it was so competitive to find the right property for us.”
Denver was floated as another choice, and Hodd was introduced to Clay Jones of Newmark, who helped him sign a lease for the Blake Street space. LoDo was chosen due to its central location and demographic mix.
“What the city has done with LoDo is very impressive,” he said. “We’re impressed with Union Station, the mall and the proximity to Coors Field.”
Hodd hired Snyder Building Construction to build the space. Kestrel Design Group served as architect. And Jack Ballenger, formerly general manager at Thirsty Lion Gastropub near Union Station, was tapped to be general manager last August.
And while there’s not specific plans for a third iteration of the concept, Hodd said LOB’s model is scalable and repeatable.
“It’s a super urban concept,” Hodd said. “You can take a game like LOB and put it (in any) downtown.”
