Corey Ferguson and the rest of the Edible Beats team thought they were done opening restaurants. That was “unless this particular scenario played out,” the executive chef at LoHi spot El Five told BusinessDen.
“And it did end up playing out,” he said.
When Sushi Ronin closed in 2025 at 2930 Umatilla St. in LoHi, Ferguson and co. put their hats in the ring to replace the decade-old tenant. This fall, the group will open Pip Food + Drink in the 2,000 square feet.
“I like to joke that we’re opening Pip as a way to clear out my very packed storage unit,” Justin Cucci, chef and founder of Edible Beats, said in a statement. “And while the design will be inspired by all the interesting things I’ve collected over the years, the real impetus for the project is to launch something unexpected and new to the Edible Beats universe.”
Ferguson said that Pip will be less regimented than Edible Beats’ other spots, which include Linger and Root Down in LoHi along with Vital Root on Tennyson Street. Most of the menu will focus on tapas, much like El Five on the fifth floor of the same building, but at a lower price point of $5 to $9 per plate.
Several kebabs will be featured, along with items like crab mousse on a shrimp chip or Iberian ham and cheese rolled in a grilled ciabatta. Kalimotxo, a red wine and cola mix, and the coffee-focused barraquito will be featured on the $8 to $15 cocktail menu.
Ferguson said that customers will also be able to get a “journey”, which is a semi-fixed lineup of bites and drinks. That cost is still being worked out.
“At our other restaurants, you know what you’re gonna get – an app, entree, desert and wine,” he said. “Here we want people to express themselves to what they’re trying to do, whether thatap one bite, one cocktail and you’re onto your evening or you want to come in and make a meal of it.”
Pip, which is the name for the dots on dice and dominoes, will be geared toward walk-ins, with reservations only available for larger groups. Ferguson said Edible Beats wants the space to be its own separate thing while also having people in before and after they dine at El Five. The spot is trying to cater more towards a bar crowd, he added, which is different from their other restaurants.
As for the buildout, this is the first time the group is going into a second-generation space. They’re working to get more light inside, as well as building a new bar and kitchen towards the front, where Ferguson said the space’s energy will come from.
They’ll have a mix of high-top, booth and seasonal patio seating, fitting 100 people at capacity. Ferguson said itap meant to emulate the feel of a spice market in Morocco, featuring bright blues, repurposed metal and old movie posters.
As of now, Ferguson said Pip’s hours will be Wednesday through Sunday, with 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. service Wednesday and Thursday and an 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. schedule for the weekend.
“Ideally itap its own separate thing,” he said of Pip. “We want to reach markets that we don’t necessarily have our hands in currently or that we used to have our hands in and don’t so much anymore.”
Edible Beats also took over LoHi bakery Wooden Spoon in early August. Ferguson said itap been selling out of pastries every day there after a slow first couple weeks.
The rest of their eateries are also doing well, with Linger leading the way based on volume of customers. After that, the order goes El Five, Root Down and then Vital Root.
“We’re going to be creating a really inclusive space down there offering something thatap really not available in Denver with how we’re going to be approaching food, price point, reservations, etc,” he said. “And I think thatap something thatap going to be received by the general public really well.”
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