Fox & Hound sports bar closes in Colorado Springs, throws dedicated football fans for a loss
The Fox & Hound sports bar on Colorado Springs’ northeast side shut its doors this week — an unexpected closure that threw a dedicated group of New England Patriots fans for a big loss.
Several Fox & Hound workers were busy emptying trash into a dumpster outside the business Tuesday, which operated in a stand-alone building in the First & Main Town Center, northeast of Powers Boulevard and South Carefree Circle. Fox & Hound signs have been removed from the building.
One employee said the sports bar and restaurant had been open at the site for 20 years. He referred questions to Fox & Hound’s owners
Fox & Hound is one of 10 restaurant brands operated by Kelly Companies, a San Diego-based private equity firm, according to a LinkedIn profile. Kelly still operates 22 Fox & Hounds around the country, including in Lone Tree, south of Denver.
Jonathan Blair, a vice president with Kelly Companies, responded to Gazette questions with an email that thanked customers and said it was trying to help employees find jobs at other area restaurants. The email, however, didn’t address why the Fox & Hound in the Springs closed and how many employees were affected.
Kelly Companies bought Fox & Hound, along with the Champps brand, in 2016 after the bankruptcy of a previous owner, according to a story that year in the Nation’s Restaurant News.
At the time of the sale, the previous owner had 37 Fox & Hound locations. Since Kelly Companies acquired the brand, Fox & Hounds have closed in Omaha, Neb.; Canton, Ohio; North Little Rock, Ark.; and Lubbock, Texas, among other locations, according to a check of online news articles.
Fred Veitch, a vice president with First & Main developer and Fox & Hound building owner Nor’wood Development Group of Colorado Springs, called Kelly Companies “a very good operator.” But Kelly appeared to have been closing sites in favor of focusing on more profitable locations, he said.
The Springs closing shocked the Pikes Peak Pats Fan Club, which is officially sanctioned by the New England Patriots football team, said club president and Boston native Anne Stone.
Since 2009, club members — usually numbering about 200 — gathered at the Fox & Hound to watch every Patriots game, except when they traveled north to see the Pats play the Broncos in Denver.
The Fox & Hound was more than just a place to watch football, Stone said. Club members hung banners, flags and pennants at the Fox & Hound, whose management supported the club’s charitable work, including raffling Patriots memorabilia, collecting canned food and gathering toys to benefit local nonprofits.
“That’s been our home for 10 years,” Stone said of the Fox & Hound.
When the Pikes Peak Pats Fan Club learned Monday of the closing, it scrambled to find a new location before Saturday’s Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans wild-card clash. After considering about 10 locations, the group settled on the Tilted Kilt, northwest of Interstate 25 and Woodmen Road in the Springs.
Tilted Kilt’s management has welcomed the club, Stone said.
“We’re going to see how this works out,” she said. “They have been wonderful.”
A worker at the Fox & Hound throws trash into a dumpster outside the business Tuesday morning. The longtime sports bar on Colorado Springs’ northeast side closed unexpectedly this week.
A sign on the door of the Fox & Hound sports bar alerts customers that the location has closed. RICH LADEN, THE GAZETTE
A rental truck is parked alongside the Fox & Hound sports bar Tuesday, ready to take away equipment, furniture and other items from the business. The Fox & Hound closed this week after operating at the First & Main Town Center on Colorado Springs’ northeast side for several years. RICH LADEN, THE GAZETTE
rich.laden@gazettedev.gazette.com