Leven founder prepares to open ‘showpiece’ restaurant downtown in 2026

Anthony Lygizos has been building toward 2026 for more than a decade.

The founder of Denver eateries Leven Deli and Leven Supply isn’t just opening one of the most anticipated spots of the new year with Leven Downtown. When the two-floor, 7,000-square-foot space opens at 1520 California St., he will also check off the third prong of the business plan he drafted in 2013.

“We want to create these great career pathways, roles that people can have a career out of, a 20- to 30-year tenure,” Lygizos told BusinessDen. “We knew that we’ve been working toward, because of our founding principles, achieving an economy of scale.”

It started with opening Leven Deli in the Golden Triangle in 2018. The first tenet of his plan was to ensure flexibility for his staff — “every employee should be in bed by 10 p.m. if they want to be,” he said. He achieved that by closing by 7 p.m. at the latest.

The second pillar was quality hourly pay. The initial goal was $20, a number Le...