Three Saints Revival closed after two and a half years in downtown Denver. (The Denver Post/Three Saints Revival)
Entrepreneur Robert Thompson was ordered to pay $544,606 Friday to the Denver developer McWhinney after breaking a restaurant lease near Union Station.
“The defendants failed to perform their portion of the lease, starting with the failure to pay rent in January of ’24 and February of ’24,” Denver District Judge Heidi Kutcher ruled.
Thompson, who founded Punch Bowl Social, and was behind since-scrapped plans for a pickleball-themed eatery in Centennial called Camp Pickle, opened the Mediterranean restaurant Three Saints Revival at 1801 Wewatta St. in 2021.
The restaurant stopped paying rent and closed in early 2024. Thompson blamed location.
“When there’s a void in downtown visitation, the wrong type of element fills in,” he said at the time, claiming that block of Wewatta was “tormented by a myriad of conditions.”
“Homeless camps on our sidewalks, rampant crime including staff and guest vehicles being broken into, … human excrement on the doorstep, drug-addled populations running through our dining room and locking themselves in the bathrooms,” the entrepreneur tallied.
But when McWhinney sued for back rent and other costs in May last year, it claimed that Three Saints’ problems dated to its opening, when it was forced to borrow $400,000 from its landlord to build out the 5,500-square-foot space. That was never repaid.
“Due to TSR’s ongoing business failures, (McWhinney) agreed to several lease amendments over the course of the parties’ relationship to try and help TSR as best it could,” the lawsuit claimed. “Despite these efforts, TSR failed to perform its obligations under the lease.”
Robert Thompson
A one-day trial was scheduled for Friday, but McWhinney’s lawyers told Kutcher on Thursday night that Thompson had agreed to pay them and had asked to cancel the trial. A hearing was held Friday morning instead. Kutcher was surprised Thompson did not attend.
“We’ve called him, your honor. No response,” McWhinney attorney Lance Collins told her.
Kutcher then ordered Thompson and Three Saints Revival to pay the $544,606 total, along with annual interest and McWhinney’s attorney fees, which have not yet been calculated.
McWhinney was represented by Collins, Jonathan Pray and Michael Zehner from the Denver office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Thompson represented himself after attorney Daniel Rohner from Shook, Hardy & Bacon withdrew because he said he was not being paid.
Three Saints Revival closed after two and a half years in downtown Denver. (The Denver Post/Three Saints Revival)
Entrepreneur Robert Thompson was ordered to pay $544,606 Friday to the Denver developer McWhinney after breaking a restaurant lease near Union Station.
“The defendants failed to perform their portion of the lease, starting with the failure to pay rent in January of ’24 and February of ’24,” Denver District Judge Heidi Kutcher ruled.
Thompson, who founded Punch Bowl Social, and was behind since-scrapped plans for a pickleball-themed eatery in Centennial called Camp Pickle, opened the Mediterranean restaurant Three Saints Revival at 1801 Wewatta St. in 2021.
The restaurant stopped paying rent and closed in early 2024. Thompson blamed location.
“When there’s a void in downtown visitation, the wrong type of element fills in,” he said at the time, claiming that block of Wewatta was “tormented by a myriad of conditions.”
“Homeless camps on our sidewalks, rampant crime including staff and guest vehicles being broken into, … human excrement on the doorstep, drug-addled populations running through our dining room and locking themselves in the bathrooms,” the entrepreneur tallied.
But when McWhinney sued for back rent and other costs in May last year, it claimed that Three Saints’ problems dated to its opening, when it was forced to borrow $400,000 from its landlord to build out the 5,500-square-foot space. That was never repaid.
“Due to TSR’s ongoing business failures, (McWhinney) agreed to several lease amendments over the course of the parties’ relationship to try and help TSR as best it could,” the lawsuit claimed. “Despite these efforts, TSR failed to perform its obligations under the lease.”
Robert Thompson
A one-day trial was scheduled for Friday, but McWhinney’s lawyers told Kutcher on Thursday night that Thompson had agreed to pay them and had asked to cancel the trial. A hearing was held Friday morning instead. Kutcher was surprised Thompson did not attend.
“We’ve called him, your honor. No response,” McWhinney attorney Lance Collins told her.
Kutcher then ordered Thompson and Three Saints Revival to pay the $544,606 total, along with annual interest and McWhinney’s attorney fees, which have not yet been calculated.
McWhinney was represented by Collins, Jonathan Pray and Michael Zehner from the Denver office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Thompson represented himself after attorney Daniel Rohner from Shook, Hardy & Bacon withdrew because he said he was not being paid.
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