Troy Guard, foreground, and General Manager Michael McGill, both Central Park residents, look forward to opening TAG Burger Bar this month. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

Restaurateur and Chef Troy Guard’s goal is to make food he’d like to eat and that’s bold and flavorful. With six concepts and 12 locations in Denver and Houston, including Guard and Grace, Bubu, and Done Deal under his TAG Restaurant Group collection, he has created a wide variety to choose from. Guard’s newest addition, TAG Burger Bar, opening in the Eastbridge Town Center of Central Park in April, is a previous concept revisited. It joins two other Guard restaurants there, Los Chingones and HashTAG.

The burger and milkshake-centric restaurant was formerly located in Congress Park but Guard decided to close it as Covid and the end of a 10-year lease collided. He and his team vowed they’d open another TAG Burger Bar when it was the right time and the right location.

The Eastbridge restaurant will have many of the favorite burgers and milkshakes from the Congress Park location plus new options. There will also be appetizers including roasted broccoli and shishito peppers, and main dishes including salads, fish, meatloaf, and steak, plus rotisserie chicken, which can be taken to go with two side dishes. Buns will be baked daily, and a burger mix of chuck, brisket, and sirloin will be specially ground for the restaurant.

Guard has lived in Central Park for 11 years and enjoys having his restaurants in his own neighborhood.

“I like that I can pop over and get something I couldn’t at the store or if friends are in town or we don’t feel like cooking, we can go to one of the restaurants,” says Guard. “Plus, one of my son’s favorite foods is burgers so he’s excited.”

With that proximity also comes added pressure for Guard, especially when friends and neighbors send him feedback.

Brandon Webb is General Manager of HashTAG and Los Chingones, neighboring sister restaurants of TAG Burger Bar opening this month in the Eastbridge Town Center in the space vacated by Next Door Kitchen & Bar. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

“I always get nervous. I want everyone to like everything. We try to put out the best product everyday, but some days we miss something,” he says. “People will text me and tell me about their experience, which helps—but it also bums me out if something went wrong. But people are also good about texting to say it was awesome.”

When Guard has had to close a restaurant, it’s tough on him and his team, but he says he never loses sight of the big picture—what’s right for the business, their partners, and their employees, who typically aren’t out of a job, since they get filtered into the other restaurants.

Troy Guard mingled with patrons when Los Chingones opened in the summer of 2017 in Eastbridge Town Center. File photo by Steve Larson

“I have to put my ego aside and I’ve gotten better every time I’ve had to close a restaurant,” says Guard. “We have to make money, that’s why we’re in business, and it’s challenging at times. It’s always about doing the right thing and checking your ego at the door, but it never feels good. It’s like reprimanding your kids—you don’t like it but you have to do it.”

Guard and his wife Nikki have three kids, spanning in age from 5 to 14. Nikki is a sommelier and handles the bar program at the restaurants, but also fills in wherever needed. That means the couple works together a lot.

“For the most part, we love it, but sometimes we need time away,” laughs Guard. “Sometimes we don’t like each other’s ideas, and that’s okay because we love our guests, community, and employees. It’s fun to bounce ideas off each other at home and at work.”

Guard visits all of his restaurants throughout the week, checking in and working on new dishes. That includes going to Houston every other week for two days. Guard creates a plan for every week but has to adjust it almost every day as things come up. He credits his strong teams at each restaurant with avoiding the need to micromanage. But the rigorous schedule can make it hard to balance work and family.

“It has taken a lot of time to learn balance,” admits Guard. “If you go too hard at anything, it’s not good for you. I love my work and I love my family and I need to balance it. I’ve learned to do it pretty well, but sometimes I put in too many hours and need a few days off to chill.”

A self-described “glutton for punishment” after opening many restaurants and closing a few, Guard wants to focus on growing his Los Chingones, Bubu, Guard and Grace, and HashTAG concepts saying he thinks they “have legs.” He adds that TAG Burger Bar is also one of those he can grow, and that people have been asking him to open them in other areas.

Guard had originally thought of putting the Burger Bar where Los Chingones is in Eastbridge but held off.

“In the end, my gut was right and six years later, we’re doing it,” says Guard, happy that TAG Burger Bar is joining the neighborhood. “I just love it here and want to invest in my community.”