Overworked and underappreciated? Aren’t we all?
The Downtown Denver Partnership aims to ease your angst with the Monday launch of Denver Employee Appreciation Week, which runs through Aug. 2.
The week features free events, concerts and movies, along with discounts at hotels, stores and restaurants.
The celebration of downtown workers, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, has four goals: educating employees on the benefits of working downtown, reminding employers about the benefits they are offering employees by being downtown, supporting the downtown economy, and emphasizing health and wellness at work.
The week kicks off with a pep rally at noon Monday in Skyline Park, 16th and Arapahoe streets. Mayor John Hickenlooper, Downtown Denver Partnership president and chief executive Tami Door, and Kaiser Permanente Colorado president Donna Lynne will hand out awards for downtown volunteering, employee loyalty and customer service.
Other events include Larimer Square’s Happening Happy Hour from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday along the 1400 block of Larimer, where restaurants will offer specials on drinks and appetizers, and shops will set up sidewalk sales.
Tuesday’s events include an employee picnic and farmers market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Civic Center and a sidewalk sale at the Denver Pavilions from 1 p.m. to closing.
Wednesday, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., participating coffee shops will offer a free cup of joe during Downtown’s Largest Coffee Break, followed by a Robinson Dairy ice-cream social, with free ice-cream sandwiches at 12:30 p.m. in Skyline Park.
On Thursday, Rock Bottom Brewery, 1001 16th St., is throwing the daddy of all happy hours from 4 to 7 p.m., with $3 beers and an appetizer buffet.
It’s Wynkoop Brewery’s (1634 18th St.) turn Friday, with an employee-appreciation party from 3 to 6 p.m. featuring free billiards, live music, $3 beers and food samples.
The Denver Art Museum’s admission is free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” will be shown starting at dusk in Skyline Park.
Appreciation week winds up Aug. 2 at Rialto Cafe, 934 16th St., with half-price drinks from 8 to 10 p.m. and a free appetizer buffet from 9 to 11 p.m.
On Aug. 3, your boss can be mean to you again.
For more details on Employee Appreciation Week and a list of hotel discounts, go to .
Denver’s Oceanaire still swimming.
When Minneapolis-based Oceanaire Seafood Room abruptly shut down four of its 16 restaurants and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month, Bob Bonner, managing partner for the Denver location, knew he was safe. But not so much for the underperforming stores in Seattle; Cincinnati; Charlotte, N.C.; and Philadelphia.
“You’re always concerned, of course, but at the same time, I was confident,” Bonner said. “We’re making a profit every month. Colorado has embraced us.”
The beautiful, albeit pricey, restaurant on the corner of Arapahoe and 14th streets seems to be enjoying a healthy-enough business to avoid the gallows. So far, employee loyalty has held steady, in spite of the bankruptcy.
“I called an all-staff meeting the day after the bankruptcy was announced and told them (the Denver Oceanaire) is not going anywhere,” Bonner said. “I told them how to handle questions from guests. Negative news travels faster than positive stuff.”
Bonner said he also renegotiated his lease with landlord Sage Hospitality Inc. “There’s a certain stigma that comes with Chapter 11,” he said. “Our goal is to pay every bill on time and in full.”
Eavesdropping
on a man at Elway’s Cherry Creek: “It’s been a good night. I’ve had three disbarred attorneys asking me for work.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the “Caplis & Silverman” radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
