Nearly every county in the state posted record restaurant traffic at the midpoint of 2014. But Denver stands out; it has about double the restaurant sales of the next closest county, Arapahoe.
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Jorel Pierce, executive chef at Stoic and Genuine in Union Station, said there are so many new restaurants, he’s had to offer more benefits and pay to keep line cooks.
"Really it’s become more of a buyer’s market, as far as where people want to work," Pierce said. "That is absolutely an immediate limit on how much farther Denver can go.
The state’s restaurant sales numbers are delayed by about a year, and don’t reflect the current economy -- but Pierce says he has not noticed any decline in demand.
