Ten years after it first opened as part of the Oskar Blues Brewery’s group of “fooderies,” CHUBurger has returned to Longmont in a slightly different form.
The fast-casual burger spot has opened in a permanent mobile kitchen at 3rd Shot Pickleball, 20 S. Bowen St., which Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis debuted in November with business partner Adam Kahn. Katechis has been an avid pickleball player for the past year.
“CHUBurger never deserved to close down in the first place,” said Mike Gleason in a statement; Gleason is the operating partner for Oskar Blues Fooderies, which also owns full-service restaurants and music venues in Longmont, Lyons, Colorado Springs and Denver. “Ever since I joined [Oskar Blues], we frequented the idea of bringing back CHUBurger … .”
The restaurant will retain the majority of its old branding and logo – including the Oskar Blues name – as well as similar recipes for its burgers and chicken sandwiches, said Katechis’ son Pate via email. The trailer at 3rd Shot also serves wings, cheese curds and other dishes.
In an interview in October, Katechis said he’d like to expand both 3rd Shot Pickleball and CHUBurger into other locations in Colorado and possibly out of state.
Katechis, who has been a Boulder County restaurateur since 1997, began brewing beers in 2004 before growing Oskar Blues into one of the largest craft breweries in the country.
He sold the majority of the brewery operation to a private equity firm in 2016; Monster Energy then bought the company in 2022. But Katechis retained most of the associated restaurants.
CHUBurger was founded in 2013 as a standalone restaurant in Longmont – one of several Oskar Blues restaurant concepts. It later opened a location in Denver’s River North Art District and, most notably, on the rooftop deck at Coors Field. All three locations closed in 2019.
CHUBurger is already serving food, but will host a grand opening party at 3rd Shot Pickleball on Thursday, Dec. 21, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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