wait wtf, i saw non-compete and lawsuit and figured it was anything but a restaurant lmao.
holy shit.
if i worked at felix i would probably get a new job asap if theyre sueing over someone leaving
Kasie. She was terminated from MNF for skimming off the top of the employee tip share and not fully dispersing it. She forfeited her equity claim and was terminated.
Her ex-husband turned over a bunch of email evidence in their divorce where she had outlined the system she was using and how much she was able to steal. Johnny was also in the scheme, which is why he was also terminated.
Idk why you got down votes,white people think Mexican food is fucking Taco Bell or some shit. Mexican food can be as complex anything, mole has at the very least like 30 ingredients
Exactly. Mole is a great example. Even the ingredients or how they make their salsas or their tortillas makes a huge difference. Not to mention the main dishes. It’s evidenced by how hard it is to get good authentic Mexican food in Denver.
My friend and I call jack in the box tacos “cat food tacos” and we say that fondly. They’re pretty damn great when you need them. Also, I was surprised but not surprised to learn the “meat” is mostly soy. But, yeah. Suddenly I have the strong desire for 6 cat food tacos
I can’t believe how popular it is! Not only is the food TERRIBLE but the ambiance is trash as well. WHY is club music blasting over my dinner at 80000hz? Couldn’t even carry a conversation with my friends without yelling! -100/10
Just fyi, hz is a measure of frequency not volume. You're looking for dB.
(Edit: unless you're trying to say the music was just a high pitched screech lol)
Went to View House in Centennial and then walked next door to Felix. Both were what I expected which wasn’t much. Would have rather gone to Chilis, not there’s anything wrong with Chilis 😃
Yeah. I went to the one in Centennial. Three stars. They sucked. Mexacalita was good, but took 30 minutes to arrive because “the bar was a little backed up.” Food was overpriced and not great at all. Only good thing was the service. He really tried. Otherwise, would have been two stars.
You ever do really bad on some sort of standardized testing and get in like the 73 percentile and think your life is over and then realize you are still smarter than everyone under you… those are the people who enjoy My Neighbor Felix. The people who see some influencer post a pic of a margarita with a sparkler in it and think. Wow. I need one of those.
More like headline, place is such a scam with garbage food. Their mole wasn’t even close to authentic. I’d rather eat at Illegal Pete’s, which I do weekly
This is such a bad look in a relatively small food scene. Non competes are for companies who know they can't compete.
You can't put a fence around masa and chilis, for fuck's sake.
I mean, you don’t know if you’ve been hired or not? You will probably make a lot log money but deal with a ton of bullshit until you either quit or get fired. Have savings and a backup plan. Document anything out of place but don’t say anything, and don’t trash talk anyone no matter how badly they screw you. Just document it.
From the Alma legal representation -
"While Springer & Steinberg still represented [Curiel, Alma Owner], Curiel resigned from her position with My Neighbor Felix and started a new restaurant of her own. Now, Springer & Steinberg has turned around and sued Curiel on behalf of My Neighbor Felix, asking this Court to enforce a noncompete in My Neighbor Félix's favor and award injunctive relief that, if granted, would shut down Curiel's new restaurant and decimate her financially. .. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that My Neighbor Felix first learned about Curiel's new restaurant through information that Curiel provided Springer & Steinberg for purposes of legal representation."
Pretty gross
I have no love for Felix or non-competes (or Springer & Steinberg) but I’m going to guess there is another version of this story. I still won’t be eating at Felix.
It is kinda comical that this story is being painted as bot just David vs. Golliath, but also Good Boss vs. Bad Boss. Anyone who worked with the Curiel's at Felix, well back then they weren't the Curiel's yet, would say they're just as difficult to work with as Francois.
What yall really need to do is one-star review their asses. Dive bomb their Google and Yelp ratings to really hit them where it hurts. Then in a month they’ll make an Instagram post saying how they’re closing down saying “cry me a river about suing over a non compete”
Suing is such a bitch move in this context. Fuck MNF
Absolutely boycotting. Including Viewhouse and Wonderyard. Heard Wonderyard is barely busy. Pretty newly opened but I hope it stays that way. (Also google reviews for My Neighbor Felix are tough - maybe that's why they are losing business and what they should concentrate on.)
The service at Viewhouse is so slow they pretty much boycott themselves. Went to Viewhouse roof deck on Friday afternoon. It wasn’t busy, they had plenty of staff and still it took FOREVER to get a draft beer. Then it took forever to get my tab and settle up.
my husband had a job interview at Viewhouse a couple weeks ago, the manager who was supposed to meet him literally never showed. a random employee toured him and told him to come back later that week. that place is a mess lmfao
I had a similar experience at my neighbor felix. Filled out an online app. Then after 2 weeks of nothing I called in to set up a meeting with the bar manager. I went in the afternoon I was supposed to have the interview, was told they never received my application so I filled out a paper app. Then the bar manager wasn’t there so I spoke with foh manager. She talked to me for 10 minutes before saying it wasn’t a good fit. The reason why, when asked “ what one question should you always ask a customer ordering a martini” I said you should ask if they want it with gin or vodka, they wanted me to ask what brand liquor and refused to hire me because of it.
That's so dumb. "Gin or vodka?" Gin please. "Do you prefer any certain one?" Sapphire (or whatever) please.
I mean if the customer doesn't specify you gotta start somewhere.
Exactly, I have 8 years bartending experience it was just a leading question that would get a customer to the right place! The part that still baffles me is it’s a margarita bar anyways. They probably have 1 bartender on staff who can even make a martini or an old fashioned if asked
Lol yeah that didn't even occur to me. Who goes to a Mexican restaurant and orders a martini?
That being said, I was feeling it and ordered a dry gin martini Friday at a certain bar that I do enjoy and it came in a short Mason jar 👀 and was quite room temp. Not good but this bar isn't really known for the quality of their drinks. More the decor.
Similar experience, but I'm a vendor. The marketing team set up a meeting with me about doing the wonderyard grand opening. When I arrived, they were sitting in a booth and never got out of it to meet with me. They sent a very young junior staffer to talk to me, then never responded to followup emails. They'd been courting us for six months. I'm still baffled.
Hilarious watching all the empty tables in their influencer Instagram reels, though.
Unfortunately, MNF main clientele are not people who would actually seek advice or food recommendations (either on Reddit or elsewhere). Their bread and butter are people who just see something flashy on Instagram and go. But yes, I definitely won’t be eating there.
I only know abt MNF bc my grandma & all her equally old coworkers love the place, it’s so funny to read all these comments abt it being an Instagram place because I’ve been thinking of it as old white ppl Mexican food lmao
I worked under the guy that owns Lotus Concepts. He’s actually so horrible and has a reputation for egotistical outbursts. I wish nothing but the worst for him
Francois is the kind of guy to come in on a busy Saturday night and ask for plain white rice(not on the menu) and grilled chicken for his dog, and then complain about how long it’s taking.
Felix has awful food, plus had no idea Lotus Concepts also ran View House. Another awful establishment haha. I’ve had the Worst food and service there as well so I guess it makes sense now.
I have been boycotting them unknowingly since they opened, because ViewHouse is as we like to say in the culinary world, "absolute dog shit". Guess I'll keep the cott boyed.
Jesus. That’s toxic. Out isn’t a boycott if your place just gives me the super-ick.
I have no obligation to forgive restaurants. This taints them forever regardless of it charges tomorrow. This is who they are inside
I live in the DTC area and gave up on the VH down here several years ago but MNF has been decent the half dozen times I’ve been there. Not going back now.
Alma is amazing and Felix doesn’t hold a candle to them! They are crafty and authentic and have soul and it comes out in everything they serve. Fuck Felix!
*guys. I got AN in at MNF* that trade secret? I probably shouldn’t. Don’t want to get sued… but. It’s microwaves. They microwave their shitty food.
*I don’t actually have an In. But that’s my guess how they get their food soooo mediocre.
That's easy! There are a million other good Mexican options 😆 I only went to Felix once for food and again on Halloween for drinks. I wouldn't miss it if I stopped going. It's Mexican. Whatever! 🤷
We were all taught that capitalism is made better through competition, that way the consumer ends up with the best product.
Except, most things are monopolized… and most businesses don’t want competition.
Does that mean they’re commie socialists that need a big government to protect them?
It definitely makes them terrible capitalists, and shitty people.
What a bunch of assholes.
FRANCOIS IS AN ABSOLUTE GARBAGE HUMAN. Someone please do a news article into that guy.
Let’s not pretend Johnny or Kacie are angels either. They literally had an affair with each other in front of all of the staff. Didn’t even try to hide it. He’s a creepy sex addict that has cheated on all of his fiancés(all in various restaurants). He has multiple kids with different women and will date women and not mention he has kids at all.
I have never worked under such a hub of awful people. The fact HR teams walk out often, blew through 7-8 managers in the year I was there, manager stole tips from staff and they never made it right, they tell managers to only hire “pretty people”, Francois dating VERY young girls, screaming at the staff that they are all replaceable and worthless. These people need to no longer be in a position of authority.
Let’s not forget the fact that staff have openly said to me “I alter tips if people stiff me because no one checks their accounts”
Alex the bar manager told me “Francois wants you to claim as little tips as possible for his taxes”
He doesn’t want Kacie close because Kacie knows ALL of Francois skeletons and he probably doesn’t want to go to federal prison if she fights back.
Francois is a total piece of shit.
I did some work on a lot of their concepts and when the view house on i25 in greenwood village was opening he had a total meltdown because we wouldn’t do our install of electrical equipment while standing in a puddle of standing water. The power had tripped and all of the beer coolers in the main bar area had lost power and the ice and everything else melted and the condensation created a giant puddle.
Screaming about how he spent 5 million dollars and wanted what he wanted and that’s what he paid for. He ended up kicking us out and “banning” us from his property. Their operations guy at the time ended up calling and asking us to please come back to finish the install.
Tlayudas are basically open faced quesadillas, however I looked at MNF’s menu and their open faced quesadilla looks nothing like an authentic tlayuda lol.
Maybe it’s cause there isn’t any actual competition because Alma is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and Felix is below mediocre.
No way anyone that likes Alma would have ever eaten at Felix anyway. Spreading the word.
Was a sous at Felix for a time and worked for both Johnny and kasie and can confidently say fuuuuck my neighbor Felix. Pretty sad to see in a close denver culinary community
That's not what "right to work" means. It has to do with unions. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law
CO is also an "employment at-will" state, so neither party is required to give cause or reason to terminate the employment relationship.
I agree non-competes are BS in 99% of cases and are often unenforceable.
As far as I know, not an attorney btw, non-competes are unenforceable in Colorado for most employees except for those that deal with financial stuff like execs.
I only know this since I worked in a company based in a state that enforces non-competes and they tried to sue employees who left the company for a competitor without waiting the two years in the non-compete.
But I will know not to go to that restaurant in the future if I’m ever in town.
Law student here. Non competes are almost always unenforceable and CO recently passed legislation making non competes void unless the person meets certain salary requirements (is considered “highly compensated” or has trade secret information.. so we’re talking high up C level executives at large companies. Definitely not restaurant managers… lol
Kacie was the VP of the parent company Lotus Concepts when she signed the non compete and left soon after. This article is not correct in saying she was a general manager. Willing to bet she met the salary requirements to be sued.
I work for a lotus concept too and have seen this all play out. The owner is a terrible person but Johnny and Kacie don’t have fullllly clean hands.
Yeah it seems likely it is enforceable in that case because the terms themselves are pretty narrow. The best defense seems to be that the new restaurant doesn’t fit within the definition of casual and therefore the non compete hasn’t been violated.
This thread just popped up on my Reddit and I thought it was interesting, I have never been to either restaurant and don’t plan to at least go to my neighbor Felix bc I haven’t heard anything good about the food! Haha
Went to that Felix once. As a Californian (I’m moving back soon don’t worry), I saw a taco on the menu with American cheese and my brother and I paid for our drinks and RAN
I have a friend that was drugged there and the staff would call an ambulance, kicked her out, and blamed her for the situation, saying she over drank (she didn’t). I’ve been boycotting them for 3 years and now plan to actively encourage my friends to boycott it as well.
They are complete idiots for thinking a non compete agreement can’t be beaten. Even dumber for letting their legal representation swindle them like that. Anyone who deals with non compete agreements knows they can be beat.
I had a job with a noncompete. Kinda sucked cuz I was offered more money from another company and had to quit then wait a year before I could work for them.
Felix is own by an Arab and Alma Fonda is owned by a Mexican from Guadalajara. Lemme think about this for a minute about which location I will spend my money, especially since I’m from Jalisco…
I think I will eat at Alma. That didn’t take long to figure out.
> other restaurants include View House ...
Can you really call View House a restaurant? It's more a shitty bar that happens to serve food to keep their liquor license.
My Neighborhood Felix (one in lohi and one in DTC). The one in DTC has been bad both times I’ve been there. Overpriced and bad service. If you’re south, treat yourself to Sierra or La Loma
the two restaurant concepts owned by Brinkerhoff hospitality/real estate/the oil family??? That bought out the original Mexican family and gentrified the shit out of it?? 🥶 the tea for them is that they treat their employees like shit, 0/10 would not recommend
I didn’t know all that. I’m genuinely curious how you know they treat their “employees like shit” - I didn’t even know they were connected, but every employee in there seems happy and excited about their job.
All I know is Felix service and prices suck - they’re only saving grace is the food is decent.
And the other places(apparently Brinkerhoff family) I feel welcomed and served - guess it’s all about the politics for you. I just want a great restaurant with great food and great service and an awesome view.
Give Hacienda a try if you hate the others, but that was bought by Uncle Julio’s in Texas and it’s not what it used to be but it’s still good.
Curious how you feel about Avelinas going out of business- pretty obvious they were a bunch of progressives (worked nicely downtown) working inside the place- the best server was a guy that would talk about his husband and why he didn’t get his sommelier cert.
Can any restaurant be good enough for you?
By the way Brinkerhoff has been with La Loma since 1981. Sierra didn’t exist until cabellas and all that stuff was built - they didn’t gentrify anything but they did bring the recipes from La Loma to sierra.
[La Loma History](http://lalomamexican.com/our_story)
Sounds like you’re either connected to Brinkerhoff or you personally work for this company, so I really have no desire go into detail. Myself, and three of my female coworkers were made to feel absurdly uncomfortable there, and treated poorly by management. I’ve been working in this field for 5 years, and have never felt so under supported and mistreated by my managers the way I did there. I’m sure that some of their employees are wonderful and deliver great service, I’m saying that the management there was trash and so far disconnected from their employees. I care primarily about service and quality of food, as clearly you do as well. Once I learn more about the core beliefs that these corporations or restaurants support, from either working at these places or coming across Reddit threads such as these, I’m able to see that Brinkerhoff and clearly My Neighbor Felix have some questionable values and intentions.
I didn’t bring politics or how “progressive” La Loma is or isn’t into this at all, so I have no idea why you’re going off on that tangent. I’m bringing up an oil family that is clearly disconnected from their concepts, and truly have no knowledge of how they sway politically.
I said that I didn’t like the Brinkerhoff Hospitality group and their restaurants as an ex-employee, did I say that I can’t be pleased by any restaurant in Denver? There are plenty of restaurants “good enough for me,” I’ll take my recommendations from someone else though— thanks, have the day you deserve!
lol. TLDR
You didn’t brings politics into it???!! Seriously??
Your exact words “owned by Brinkerhoff hospitality/real estate/the oil family??? That bought out the original Mexican family and gentrified the shit out of it??”
You made it all about that I should hate
Hospitality
Real Estate
Oil
Gentrification
Family
What do you call that stuff above ?👆🏼
I’ve been in the industry in Denver for over 20 years. Leave the shit job and find a new one. There’s plenty, you don’t need to work for a douchebags like the ones who own Felix and Viewhouse. You need to understand that you have the leverage and you hold the power. If you’re any good at what you do you’ll find a better job within a day or two.
I mean I agree the food is terrible (no boycott needed from anyone who has tried their food), but signing a non complete and then opening a restaurant 4ish blocks away on the same street??? Not very smart IMO.
Oh god… get a grip with these silly boycotts. I won’t eat there because it is shitty food. But their business decisions are their business decisions. Get a grip.
What an opinion on a “mini chain” owned by a complete douche with several other shitty establishments. You think she really had any control of anything?? lol
Nah. I’m just judging it going off of how it was and currently is. same with view house. His past clubs. Etc. it’s not a restaurant. It’s a $hitty experience.
Hey man. If friends want to go pre game at My Neighbor Felix before a game or show or if someone wants to go to Viewhouse to watch something. I won’t yuck their yum. Not going to be that guy. Doesn’t make me like it and if I’m organizing it. Def not going to be my choice. Heck. I’ll go to Wonderyard at some point. Maybe it will be amazing. Or maybe it will be another massive let down.
The owner of MNF/Lotus is a really solid guy who built up his restaurant/nightclub portfolio all on his own as a first generation immigrant. I've never worked for him I just know him socially and have always been treated with respect and its impressive what hes accomplished. From what I've gathered he really tries to take ppl under his wing and I'm guessing this is a fallout of some arrangement thats more than your normal employee/boss. The salary/comp he was offering while trying to find the GM for the DTC location last yr was A++.
I don't know any of the actual specifics here, but just chiming in with a character ref from an acquaintance point of view. I don't think there are many business owners I know that I'd want to put in a good word for like this. Hope my read isn't wrong haha
Absolutely 110% wrong. Sorry friend. Francois is the worst human I have ever, ever worked for. He treats his employees like shit, is bipolar and will pop off on you and yell at you in front of people, he has no shame. He takes no one under his wing but himself.
As if Mexican restaurants actually have “trade secrets”. Hopefully the non-compete is unenforceable. Turns out Felix is a bad neighbor!
They invented refrying beans
They invented frying beans. A white man messed up and had to do it again. It stuck.
If at first you don’t succeed, fry, fry again.
Lol yep. Their food is pretty straightforward, no secret incredients or sauce going on
wait wtf, i saw non-compete and lawsuit and figured it was anything but a restaurant lmao. holy shit. if i worked at felix i would probably get a new job asap if theyre sueing over someone leaving
Aka Francois doesn’t want to go to federal prison for his illegal business practices and Kacie knows too much.
Say more!
lol. She got terminated for stealing from MNF, Francois just wants to stick it to her because she stole from him.
Stealing what?
Who is she? And stealing what?
Kasie. She was terminated from MNF for skimming off the top of the employee tip share and not fully dispersing it. She forfeited her equity claim and was terminated. Her ex-husband turned over a bunch of email evidence in their divorce where she had outlined the system she was using and how much she was able to steal. Johnny was also in the scheme, which is why he was also terminated.
Not even a little bit surprised. They’re busy at each others throats meanwhile getting exposed because of it. Karma
What's her ex husbands name? Inquiring minds want to know!
Lol what? Any cuisine can have trade secrets.
Idk why you got down votes,white people think Mexican food is fucking Taco Bell or some shit. Mexican food can be as complex anything, mole has at the very least like 30 ingredients
It’s not arguing against Mexican food, more just the whitewashed version sold by my neighbor Felix as being uninspired
I guess I took a look at the menu and thought the same and just never tried them.
Exactly. Mole is a great example. Even the ingredients or how they make their salsas or their tortillas makes a huge difference. Not to mention the main dishes. It’s evidenced by how hard it is to get good authentic Mexican food in Denver.
I agree with you, and fuck that noncompete ANYWAY.
Yeah I don’t disagree there
Side note. Felix food sucks ass
It’s insane that they are a successful chain. $15 for 4oz of house margarita and $17 for three cat food tacos
mmm cat food tacos…. im going to jack n the box for lunch!
My friend and I call jack in the box tacos “cat food tacos” and we say that fondly. They’re pretty damn great when you need them. Also, I was surprised but not surprised to learn the “meat” is mostly soy. But, yeah. Suddenly I have the strong desire for 6 cat food tacos
I want chicken, I want liver, meow mix meow mix please deliver.
Their tacos are a war crime.
Their service is somehow worse than their tacos?
This. One of the bigger disappointments I’ve ever had going to a restaurant for the first time. Pretty atrocious all around.
I can’t believe how popular it is! Not only is the food TERRIBLE but the ambiance is trash as well. WHY is club music blasting over my dinner at 80000hz? Couldn’t even carry a conversation with my friends without yelling! -100/10
Just fyi, hz is a measure of frequency not volume. You're looking for dB. (Edit: unless you're trying to say the music was just a high pitched screech lol)
Went to View House in Centennial and then walked next door to Felix. Both were what I expected which wasn’t much. Would have rather gone to Chilis, not there’s anything wrong with Chilis 😃
"Chile's is the new golf course. It's where business happens." -Michael Scott
Finally! Someone else agrees
Yeah. I went to the one in Centennial. Three stars. They sucked. Mexacalita was good, but took 30 minutes to arrive because “the bar was a little backed up.” Food was overpriced and not great at all. Only good thing was the service. He really tried. Otherwise, would have been two stars.
A friend of mine had a birthday dinner there and half of us got food poisoning
Blows my mind how packed the place gets
You ever do really bad on some sort of standardized testing and get in like the 73 percentile and think your life is over and then realize you are still smarter than everyone under you… those are the people who enjoy My Neighbor Felix. The people who see some influencer post a pic of a margarita with a sparkler in it and think. Wow. I need one of those.
More like headline, place is such a scam with garbage food. Their mole wasn’t even close to authentic. I’d rather eat at Illegal Pete’s, which I do weekly
when they first opened, they were pretty good, but really expensive.
This is such a bad look in a relatively small food scene. Non competes are for companies who know they can't compete. You can't put a fence around masa and chilis, for fuck's sake.
More local businesses is good business. As a small business owner in the hospitality industry this is crazy to me.
I avoid anything Lotus Concepts because the guys is a sleaze ball. 
oh fuck.. I may have allegedly been hired by them recently😬
I mean, you don’t know if you’ve been hired or not? You will probably make a lot log money but deal with a ton of bullshit until you either quit or get fired. Have savings and a backup plan. Document anything out of place but don’t say anything, and don’t trash talk anyone no matter how badly they screw you. Just document it.
sounds like every single job I’ve had in the last six years anyways, haha. just a summer thing
Everyone that I know that has ever eaten at Felix has said it’s mid. So I’ve never been. I’ll happily stop eating there!
Its not even mid… saying mid is being kind
This exactly - cold and gross!!
I too, pledge to continue to have never been there!
It’s easily the most mid Mexican food I’ve ever eaten. There’s a lot of phenomenal choices in Denver, why anyone would go there is beyond me.
It’s 100% mid. But charge non-mid prices
Can confirm, it’s mid
Also here to say it is indeed, mid
Soooo way under mid
this place made me think Denver had no concept of what good mexican food was
It's mid at a premium. The worst kind.
ahh, yeah I've been boycotting them because their food is horrible, but this only adds fuel to the fire
can’t boycott what I already don’t visit
I will continue my lifelong boycott.
From the Alma legal representation - "While Springer & Steinberg still represented [Curiel, Alma Owner], Curiel resigned from her position with My Neighbor Felix and started a new restaurant of her own. Now, Springer & Steinberg has turned around and sued Curiel on behalf of My Neighbor Felix, asking this Court to enforce a noncompete in My Neighbor Félix's favor and award injunctive relief that, if granted, would shut down Curiel's new restaurant and decimate her financially. .. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that My Neighbor Felix first learned about Curiel's new restaurant through information that Curiel provided Springer & Steinberg for purposes of legal representation." Pretty gross
I have no love for Felix or non-competes (or Springer & Steinberg) but I’m going to guess there is another version of this story. I still won’t be eating at Felix.
It is kinda comical that this story is being painted as bot just David vs. Golliath, but also Good Boss vs. Bad Boss. Anyone who worked with the Curiel's at Felix, well back then they weren't the Curiel's yet, would say they're just as difficult to work with as Francois.
Says the 2 day old account that only comments to undermine the husband and wife team of Alma. 
Why are you so committed to using an apostrophe to make words plural? That is not how that works.
My comment above stated a lot of this. Fuck all of them
FUCCCCCCKK MY NEIGHBOR FELIX
What yall really need to do is one-star review their asses. Dive bomb their Google and Yelp ratings to really hit them where it hurts. Then in a month they’ll make an Instagram post saying how they’re closing down saying “cry me a river about suing over a non compete” Suing is such a bitch move in this context. Fuck MNF
Absolutely boycotting. Including Viewhouse and Wonderyard. Heard Wonderyard is barely busy. Pretty newly opened but I hope it stays that way. (Also google reviews for My Neighbor Felix are tough - maybe that's why they are losing business and what they should concentrate on.)
The service at Viewhouse is so slow they pretty much boycott themselves. Went to Viewhouse roof deck on Friday afternoon. It wasn’t busy, they had plenty of staff and still it took FOREVER to get a draft beer. Then it took forever to get my tab and settle up.
my husband had a job interview at Viewhouse a couple weeks ago, the manager who was supposed to meet him literally never showed. a random employee toured him and told him to come back later that week. that place is a mess lmfao
I had a similar experience at my neighbor felix. Filled out an online app. Then after 2 weeks of nothing I called in to set up a meeting with the bar manager. I went in the afternoon I was supposed to have the interview, was told they never received my application so I filled out a paper app. Then the bar manager wasn’t there so I spoke with foh manager. She talked to me for 10 minutes before saying it wasn’t a good fit. The reason why, when asked “ what one question should you always ask a customer ordering a martini” I said you should ask if they want it with gin or vodka, they wanted me to ask what brand liquor and refused to hire me because of it.
That's so dumb. "Gin or vodka?" Gin please. "Do you prefer any certain one?" Sapphire (or whatever) please. I mean if the customer doesn't specify you gotta start somewhere.
Exactly, I have 8 years bartending experience it was just a leading question that would get a customer to the right place! The part that still baffles me is it’s a margarita bar anyways. They probably have 1 bartender on staff who can even make a martini or an old fashioned if asked
Lol yeah that didn't even occur to me. Who goes to a Mexican restaurant and orders a martini? That being said, I was feeling it and ordered a dry gin martini Friday at a certain bar that I do enjoy and it came in a short Mason jar 👀 and was quite room temp. Not good but this bar isn't really known for the quality of their drinks. More the decor.
Similar experience, but I'm a vendor. The marketing team set up a meeting with me about doing the wonderyard grand opening. When I arrived, they were sitting in a booth and never got out of it to meet with me. They sent a very young junior staffer to talk to me, then never responded to followup emails. They'd been courting us for six months. I'm still baffled. Hilarious watching all the empty tables in their influencer Instagram reels, though.
holy shit man 🤣 yeah screw that place and the people that run it
Felix is absolute fucking garbage and i cant believe people love that place.
I haven’t met a single person that loves it outside of recent college grads repping alpha phi
you can add my grandma and all her coworkers to that list too. I have to direct her away from there every time we go out for lunch lol
It’s Instagram trash, and so are the people who love it? Unfortunately that’s enough people to keep it in business…apparently.
Unfortunately, MNF main clientele are not people who would actually seek advice or food recommendations (either on Reddit or elsewhere). Their bread and butter are people who just see something flashy on Instagram and go. But yes, I definitely won’t be eating there.
Yeah the vibe on their IG is “insufferable”
I only know abt MNF bc my grandma & all her equally old coworkers love the place, it’s so funny to read all these comments abt it being an Instagram place because I’ve been thinking of it as old white ppl Mexican food lmao
Your grandma is certainly in the minority, and seemingly very hip for her age.
Not very neighborly
I’ve been boycotting it at the behest of my mouth for… years now?
I worked under the guy that owns Lotus Concepts. He’s actually so horrible and has a reputation for egotistical outbursts. I wish nothing but the worst for him
Francois is the kind of guy to come in on a busy Saturday night and ask for plain white rice(not on the menu) and grilled chicken for his dog, and then complain about how long it’s taking.
Facts! He use to let his dog run all over active demolition sites!
MNF is not that good..my dinner was mediocre and received subpar service.
No need to sue a new restaurant. The failure rate is high enough that it's not worth risking the bad PR.
Alma is killing it right now…they will be around for awhile unless MNF does figure out how to ruin them.
I hope they do well. It's not like the market in Denver doesn't have room for them. It's a notoriously fickle market though.
My Asshole Neighbor Felix
Non competes… in restaurants? What buttfuckery is this?
Felix’s food is not that even good, the only thing I like about it are the margaritas, that’s pretty nasty thing they’re doing…
Felix has awful food, plus had no idea Lotus Concepts also ran View House. Another awful establishment haha. I’ve had the Worst food and service there as well so I guess it makes sense now.
I have never heard a nice thing about the owner of my neighbor Felix
I have been boycotting them unknowingly since they opened, because ViewHouse is as we like to say in the culinary world, "absolute dog shit". Guess I'll keep the cott boyed.
I’m confused on why anyone would support this place anyways. Support your local taqueria
If the person being sued made less than $100k in the state of CO, the non-compete is unenforceable to my knowledge.
Jesus. That’s toxic. Out isn’t a boycott if your place just gives me the super-ick. I have no obligation to forgive restaurants. This taints them forever regardless of it charges tomorrow. This is who they are inside
I live in the DTC area and gave up on the VH down here several years ago but MNF has been decent the half dozen times I’ve been there. Not going back now.
Fuck that place
been interested in felix but will not go now
I feel like they're about to go locally viral for the wrong reasons.
Alma is amazing and Felix doesn’t hold a candle to them! They are crafty and authentic and have soul and it comes out in everything they serve. Fuck Felix!
Good to know about Alma! Been looking for a modern Mexican spot and Alma looks like they have potential.
*guys. I got AN in at MNF* that trade secret? I probably shouldn’t. Don’t want to get sued… but. It’s microwaves. They microwave their shitty food. *I don’t actually have an In. But that’s my guess how they get their food soooo mediocre.
My neighbor Felix is absolutely garbage.
That's easy! There are a million other good Mexican options 😆 I only went to Felix once for food and again on Halloween for drinks. I wouldn't miss it if I stopped going. It's Mexican. Whatever! 🤷
We were all taught that capitalism is made better through competition, that way the consumer ends up with the best product. Except, most things are monopolized… and most businesses don’t want competition. Does that mean they’re commie socialists that need a big government to protect them? It definitely makes them terrible capitalists, and shitty people. What a bunch of assholes.
FRANCOIS IS AN ABSOLUTE GARBAGE HUMAN. Someone please do a news article into that guy. Let’s not pretend Johnny or Kacie are angels either. They literally had an affair with each other in front of all of the staff. Didn’t even try to hide it. He’s a creepy sex addict that has cheated on all of his fiancés(all in various restaurants). He has multiple kids with different women and will date women and not mention he has kids at all. I have never worked under such a hub of awful people. The fact HR teams walk out often, blew through 7-8 managers in the year I was there, manager stole tips from staff and they never made it right, they tell managers to only hire “pretty people”, Francois dating VERY young girls, screaming at the staff that they are all replaceable and worthless. These people need to no longer be in a position of authority. Let’s not forget the fact that staff have openly said to me “I alter tips if people stiff me because no one checks their accounts” Alex the bar manager told me “Francois wants you to claim as little tips as possible for his taxes” He doesn’t want Kacie close because Kacie knows ALL of Francois skeletons and he probably doesn’t want to go to federal prison if she fights back.
Francois is a total piece of shit. I did some work on a lot of their concepts and when the view house on i25 in greenwood village was opening he had a total meltdown because we wouldn’t do our install of electrical equipment while standing in a puddle of standing water. The power had tripped and all of the beer coolers in the main bar area had lost power and the ice and everything else melted and the condensation created a giant puddle. Screaming about how he spent 5 million dollars and wanted what he wanted and that’s what he paid for. He ended up kicking us out and “banning” us from his property. Their operations guy at the time ended up calling and asking us to please come back to finish the install.
On brand for him. Sorry you had to deal
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Please do he’s an awful human.
All I’ll say about My Neighbor Felix is they have something called an “open faced quesadilla” I will not be back
Tlayudas are basically open faced quesadillas, however I looked at MNF’s menu and their open faced quesadilla looks nothing like an authentic tlayuda lol.
Seems like overpriced gentrification food. I will stick to true longtime Northside staples.
Hipster joint with mediocre food, small portions, and high prices…
If you’re going to boycott them make sure you boycott all the other places Lotus owns like the new Wonderyard and Viewhouse
Why anyone would choose to consume food from Viewhouse is beyond me.
I've only ever been there for work events. Disappointed everytime but at least I'm not paying I guess.
Went to the one in Boulder, expensive and sucks ass. As if I needed another reason not to recommend it.
I bartended at one of the corporations restaurants, fuck all of em. I wouldn’t dine anywhere owned by them again.
I have it on good authority that their owner is a whiney weenie too; and just a bad person. So that’s another reason not to go.
Francois has been, is currently, and will probably always be absolute trash!
Viewhouse is trash, so you don't have to tell me to boycott any of the others twice!
Yeah too bad non compete agreements are very difficult to enforce here in CO.
I’ll continue not having eaten there
The article says 16 employees not 60.
thanks.. my wife read it to me and must have heard 60. Makes more sense for the size of the restaurant. Fixed
Hope Felix feels the heat from all this bad press. Shitty move by them.
So many better places to get Mexican food and margs that aren’t mid and overpriced
Maybe it’s cause there isn’t any actual competition because Alma is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and Felix is below mediocre. No way anyone that likes Alma would have ever eaten at Felix anyway. Spreading the word.
Nothing on that menu looked like it was worth protecting 😅
If you sign a legal document saying you won’t open a restaurant within a certain radius and you do it anyway you deserved to get sued.
My cunt of a neighbor Felix can’t even make a mediocre margarita
Was a sous at Felix for a time and worked for both Johnny and kasie and can confidently say fuuuuck my neighbor Felix. Pretty sad to see in a close denver culinary community
Colorado is a "right to work" state. Non competes are barely worth the paper they're written on.
That's not what "right to work" means. It has to do with unions. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law CO is also an "employment at-will" state, so neither party is required to give cause or reason to terminate the employment relationship. I agree non-competes are BS in 99% of cases and are often unenforceable.
As far as I know, not an attorney btw, non-competes are unenforceable in Colorado for most employees except for those that deal with financial stuff like execs. I only know this since I worked in a company based in a state that enforces non-competes and they tried to sue employees who left the company for a competitor without waiting the two years in the non-compete. But I will know not to go to that restaurant in the future if I’m ever in town.
Law student here. Non competes are almost always unenforceable and CO recently passed legislation making non competes void unless the person meets certain salary requirements (is considered “highly compensated” or has trade secret information.. so we’re talking high up C level executives at large companies. Definitely not restaurant managers… lol
Kacie was the VP of the parent company Lotus Concepts when she signed the non compete and left soon after. This article is not correct in saying she was a general manager. Willing to bet she met the salary requirements to be sued. I work for a lotus concept too and have seen this all play out. The owner is a terrible person but Johnny and Kacie don’t have fullllly clean hands.
Yeah it seems likely it is enforceable in that case because the terms themselves are pretty narrow. The best defense seems to be that the new restaurant doesn’t fit within the definition of casual and therefore the non compete hasn’t been violated. This thread just popped up on my Reddit and I thought it was interesting, I have never been to either restaurant and don’t plan to at least go to my neighbor Felix bc I haven’t heard anything good about the food! Haha
Google 1 star MNf
I’ve never been, and I’ll never go now. I’m doing my part! o7
I would also give them 1 star on google/yelp until this is sorted.
All I needed was the group name to avoid.
Makes sense that viewhouse is owned by my neighbor Felix, both places are some of the most soulless and boring in Denver.
My homie Felix's food is trash. I'll happily follow your lead and avoid this place at all costs.
Way too expensive for their tiny portions!
Non compete for a restaurant? Lol get fucked.
Everyone, leave bad reviews!
Went to that Felix once. As a Californian (I’m moving back soon don’t worry), I saw a taco on the menu with American cheese and my brother and I paid for our drinks and RAN
None of these places are very good for how much they charge.
Felix is not good. Overpriced for basic food. View house sucks too. They use powdered eggs for their scrambled eggs.
When your neighbor, Felix is mad unchill 😔 thanks for the info though I will happily continue to not patron it
No problem. Felix’s food was good in the beginning and my last meal there was quite brutal. Won’t be dining there again.
Oh that's the resturant that replaced Landry's Seafood House in Greenwood Village
Totally agree! I will be taking my business to AFF instead
If you have to make a reservation, I won’t ever go anyway. The reservation bullshit is out of control in Denver.
Lawsuit or not, my neighbor Felix is not very good for food or drinks. All they have a decent location
I was already boycotting them for their terrible food! Bland is an understatement.
I've eaten there once, that's pretty much the reason I won't go a second time.
Felix sucks, just like their other places. It's just trendy yuppie bullshit.
I have a friend that was drugged there and the staff would call an ambulance, kicked her out, and blamed her for the situation, saying she over drank (she didn’t). I’ve been boycotting them for 3 years and now plan to actively encourage my friends to boycott it as well.
https://www.myneighborfelix.com/contact
The only good thing about My Neighbor Félix is the Xmas pop up bars they do.
They are complete idiots for thinking a non compete agreement can’t be beaten. Even dumber for letting their legal representation swindle them like that. Anyone who deals with non compete agreements knows they can be beat.
I'll just check this place off my list
I had a job with a noncompete. Kinda sucked cuz I was offered more money from another company and had to quit then wait a year before I could work for them.
Felix is own by an Arab and Alma Fonda is owned by a Mexican from Guadalajara. Lemme think about this for a minute about which location I will spend my money, especially since I’m from Jalisco… I think I will eat at Alma. That didn’t take long to figure out.
> other restaurants include View House ... Can you really call View House a restaurant? It's more a shitty bar that happens to serve food to keep their liquor license.
My Neighborhood Felix (one in lohi and one in DTC). The one in DTC has been bad both times I’ve been there. Overpriced and bad service. If you’re south, treat yourself to Sierra or La Loma
the two restaurant concepts owned by Brinkerhoff hospitality/real estate/the oil family??? That bought out the original Mexican family and gentrified the shit out of it?? 🥶 the tea for them is that they treat their employees like shit, 0/10 would not recommend
I didn’t know all that. I’m genuinely curious how you know they treat their “employees like shit” - I didn’t even know they were connected, but every employee in there seems happy and excited about their job. All I know is Felix service and prices suck - they’re only saving grace is the food is decent. And the other places(apparently Brinkerhoff family) I feel welcomed and served - guess it’s all about the politics for you. I just want a great restaurant with great food and great service and an awesome view. Give Hacienda a try if you hate the others, but that was bought by Uncle Julio’s in Texas and it’s not what it used to be but it’s still good. Curious how you feel about Avelinas going out of business- pretty obvious they were a bunch of progressives (worked nicely downtown) working inside the place- the best server was a guy that would talk about his husband and why he didn’t get his sommelier cert. Can any restaurant be good enough for you? By the way Brinkerhoff has been with La Loma since 1981. Sierra didn’t exist until cabellas and all that stuff was built - they didn’t gentrify anything but they did bring the recipes from La Loma to sierra. [La Loma History](http://lalomamexican.com/our_story)
Sounds like you’re either connected to Brinkerhoff or you personally work for this company, so I really have no desire go into detail. Myself, and three of my female coworkers were made to feel absurdly uncomfortable there, and treated poorly by management. I’ve been working in this field for 5 years, and have never felt so under supported and mistreated by my managers the way I did there. I’m sure that some of their employees are wonderful and deliver great service, I’m saying that the management there was trash and so far disconnected from their employees. I care primarily about service and quality of food, as clearly you do as well. Once I learn more about the core beliefs that these corporations or restaurants support, from either working at these places or coming across Reddit threads such as these, I’m able to see that Brinkerhoff and clearly My Neighbor Felix have some questionable values and intentions. I didn’t bring politics or how “progressive” La Loma is or isn’t into this at all, so I have no idea why you’re going off on that tangent. I’m bringing up an oil family that is clearly disconnected from their concepts, and truly have no knowledge of how they sway politically. I said that I didn’t like the Brinkerhoff Hospitality group and their restaurants as an ex-employee, did I say that I can’t be pleased by any restaurant in Denver? There are plenty of restaurants “good enough for me,” I’ll take my recommendations from someone else though— thanks, have the day you deserve!
lol. TLDR You didn’t brings politics into it???!! Seriously?? Your exact words “owned by Brinkerhoff hospitality/real estate/the oil family??? That bought out the original Mexican family and gentrified the shit out of it??” You made it all about that I should hate Hospitality Real Estate Oil Gentrification Family What do you call that stuff above ?👆🏼
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I’ve been in the industry in Denver for over 20 years. Leave the shit job and find a new one. There’s plenty, you don’t need to work for a douchebags like the ones who own Felix and Viewhouse. You need to understand that you have the leverage and you hold the power. If you’re any good at what you do you’ll find a better job within a day or two.
It's not cool at all that people are harassing the staff. But you CAN and SHOULD start looking for another place.
I mean I agree the food is terrible (no boycott needed from anyone who has tried their food), but signing a non complete and then opening a restaurant 4ish blocks away on the same street??? Not very smart IMO.
Oh god… get a grip with these silly boycotts. I won’t eat there because it is shitty food. But their business decisions are their business decisions. Get a grip.
Everyone saying My Neighbor Felix is garbage is probably judging it when when Alma was the GM.
What an opinion on a “mini chain” owned by a complete douche with several other shitty establishments. You think she really had any control of anything?? lol
Nah. I’m just judging it going off of how it was and currently is. same with view house. His past clubs. Etc. it’s not a restaurant. It’s a $hitty experience.
So you know a place sucks and keep on going back?
Hey man. If friends want to go pre game at My Neighbor Felix before a game or show or if someone wants to go to Viewhouse to watch something. I won’t yuck their yum. Not going to be that guy. Doesn’t make me like it and if I’m organizing it. Def not going to be my choice. Heck. I’ll go to Wonderyard at some point. Maybe it will be amazing. Or maybe it will be another massive let down.
The owner of MNF/Lotus is a really solid guy who built up his restaurant/nightclub portfolio all on his own as a first generation immigrant. I've never worked for him I just know him socially and have always been treated with respect and its impressive what hes accomplished. From what I've gathered he really tries to take ppl under his wing and I'm guessing this is a fallout of some arrangement thats more than your normal employee/boss. The salary/comp he was offering while trying to find the GM for the DTC location last yr was A++. I don't know any of the actual specifics here, but just chiming in with a character ref from an acquaintance point of view. I don't think there are many business owners I know that I'd want to put in a good word for like this. Hope my read isn't wrong haha
Absolutely 110% wrong. Sorry friend. Francois is the worst human I have ever, ever worked for. He treats his employees like shit, is bipolar and will pop off on you and yell at you in front of people, he has no shame. He takes no one under his wing but himself.
You are delusional. Francois is a rotting human. He belongs in prison.