“We’re five minutes from DU, so we think that’s where a lot of our business comes from,” says Braden Dobbs, president of Vital Partnerships for Flavors Filsaime. The takeout and delivery-focused restaurant is set to open on October 29 and has two major differentiators: its menu is 100% vegan and it’s open 24/7.
Aside from chains dominating late-night restaurants and a few unsung heroes serving drive-thru Mexican fare, Denver’s 3 a.m. snack options are slim, even more so if you’re vegan. But now even plant eaters can satisfy their nighttime cravings by diving into hot plates of comfort food.
The menu is globally inspired and includes orange ‘chicken’ and fried rice, ‘fish’ fillet sandwiches with dairy-free cheese, crispy tacos and vegetarian spiral pasta with an Indian twist. . Combo #5 covers breakfast, with vegan eggs and sausage served with whipped cream pancakes. You also get your choice of real fruit smoothie, with flavors like the Cantaloupe Titan, a tropical blend of mangoes, melons, and chia seeds.
Before starting his own business, Waquim Filsaime, 25, most recently worked as a district manager for Denny’s. His other previous employers include Wingstop, Taco Bell and Kneaders Bakery & Cafe. While learning the ins and outs of fast food restaurant management, Filsaime attended Strayer University, studying business administration and human resources.
According to Dobbs, Filsaime selected Mile High Gourmet Club as the company’s first location because “it seemed like a good location for people going out late to party or to the bars”. Located at 2171 South Grape Street, Filsaime Flavors will be the only 24/7 restaurant at the food market concept, which is also home to a dozen other take-out and delivery restaurants.
“We have a window that you can order from, and then it’s all seated on the patio,” says Dobbs. Filsaime Flavors’ vegan fare will also be available for pickup and delivery through major apps including UberEATS, Grubhub and DoorDash. Catering is another service that will soon be available, and to further target nearby schools, the restaurant will launch an incentive program.
“We’re really pushing smoothies, using them as marketing,” Dobbs says. He goes on to explain that vouchers for free smoothies will be provided to schools in an effort to award good grades. He continues, “Our list of schools includes about 50 different schools,” including the University of Denver.
“We hope to grow very quickly, and our big step is this first restaurant. We’re doing as much marketing as we can for this first one, and hopefully it will [opening] the others pretty smooth,” Dobbs says. Expansion plans are indeed ambitious, with Filsaime Flavors “expected to have 24 more openings across the United States by the end of 2023,” Dobbs notes. Target cities include Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, Charlotte, and Miami, among others.
“As more and more people seek to become vegans and vegetarians, I think [Filsaime Flavors is] attracting a lot of new people and will bring in a lot of business,” says Dobbs. “We have a lot of competition in those spaces,” he admits of the cities he plans to open in, “but I think when we get into those spaces, it will give us a big foothold in the market.”
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