Recognizing 100 CEOs & C-level Executives

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Troy Guard

Owner & Chef

TAG Restaurant Group

Location: Denver, CO

Founded: 2009

Industry: Restaurant

Chef Troy Guard, owner of TAG Restaurant Group, is described as a pioneer of bold flavors, passionate hospitality and cross-cultural cuisine.

“Not only has he created jobs and opportunities, he constantly gives back to the community and invests in the future through activations and campaigns with area schools and the CRA,” said his staff. “Ten years in and he is still working on the line of restaurants, tasting every dish, showing up at every function and reading every review.”

As the sole executor of success for TAG Restaurant Group, launched in 2009, Guard has opened more than a dozen restaurants in the Denver metro area, expanded to new markets, been on the board of the Colorado Restaurant Association and has joined several committees dedicated to fighting hunger, child nutrition and veteran services.

TAG Restaurant Group is a Denver-based restaurant collection founded by Guard that began with a continentally-charged restaurant on the historic Larimer Square and has evolved into a culinary powerhouse, both locally and nationally.

Guard currently operates eight concepts over twelve locations in the Denver metro area, and plans to extend the restaurant group’s footprint to include Houston and Hawaii. TAG Restaurant Group includes Bubu, FNG, Guard & Grace, HashTAG, Los Chingones, Tag Burger Bar, COMMISSARY and Tag Restaurant.

“We strive to shake up typical dining by offering immersive culinary experiences that are deeply-rooted in and inspired by my life and travels,” said Guard. “They are crafted with genuine hospitality in mind and are never shy to produce bold, worldly flavors using local ingredients.”

Guard has been recognized for more than just his cross-cultural cuisine. He has been the recipient of the Mort Harris Small Businessperson of the Year, the CRA Philanthropist of the Year and has been honored multiple times in the Best of Awards from Westword and Top of the Town.

According to Visit Denver, “Troy has contributed to elevating the restaurant scene in Denver, and every one of our visitors has to eat, so that’s really important.”

Moving forward, Guard said TAG Restaurant Group will continue to scale. “In 2020 alone, we will open a food hall, a new beach-inspired quick casual concept, a restaurant in Hawaii, a third Bubu and a fifth Los Chingones,” he said. “In the next five years, we expect to double our total restaurants and revenue.”

For his bold creativity as a chef, his entrepreneurial spirit and his ability to lead by example, Guard has been named a Titan of industry.

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Fun Fact:

His first restaurant, TAG, are his initials (Troy Atherton Guard) and the name of his beloved, departed bulldog.  In case he never opened a restaurant, he wanted to use the name for something he loved!

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