Homegrown Tap & Dough Opens Seventh Location, First in Colorado Springs

Homegrown Tap & Dough opened its seventh location — and its first in Colorado Springs — on Tuesday, October 27, at 5710 S. Carefree Circle, near North Powers Boulevard. The unit is the first Colorado Springs restaurant for Denver-based Gastamo Group, and it arrives after a three-year development effort and a full building teardown.

The numbers behind the build are substantial for a single-unit casual brand. The restaurant spans 6,000 square feet, seats 215 guests inside and 106 on the patio, and created 104 jobs. Kelley Compton, Gastamo Group's first managing partner, runs the operation.

"We've been working on our first Colorado Springs restaurant for three years, and we're stoked it's finally here," said Peter Newlin, CEO of Gastamo Group. "We love this community and wanted to show up as a real neighbor, not just another new restaurant."

What does the opening change for the brand?

It pushes Homegrown into a new market with a deliberately engineered revenue daypart. Happy hour runs Sunday through Thursday from 2–6 p.m. and — for the first time at any Homegrown — again from 8 p.m. to close. That second late-night window adds a bar-and-patio sales period the brand hasn't tested elsewhere, with 22-ounce draft beers, wines, and cocktails at $6 and bites starting at $6.

The menu stays on model: hand-tossed pizzas, pasta, and shareable starters, with gluten-free and vegetarian options, Colorado craft beer, and handcrafted cocktails. That mix matters for margin structure — pizza and pasta remain the highest-contribution categories in casual dining, and the $6 happy hour pricing works as a traffic lever rather than a profit center.

The build itself was no standard refresh. The team gutted the original building, expanded the patio, and added exterior structures, working with architecture firm HSU Office on architecture and art. Newlin called the project one of the most ambitious builds in Gastamo Group's history.

A giveback tied to pizza counts

Throughout November, the restaurant will donate $1 for every 14-inch pizza sold to Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, which supports veterans, active-duty service members, and their families across Southern Colorado through transition and employment assistance, behavioral health programs, and community-resource connections.

"Partnering with Mt. Carmel in our first full month is how we give back to the people who make Colorado Springs what it is," Newlin said.

The tie-in isn't incidental to the market. Colorado Springs sits near major military installations, and Gastamo Group extends the discount beyond the promo month: active-duty service members and veterans get 10 percent off every visit at all of the group's restaurants, not just this location.

"Supporting our veterans, military members, and their families takes a community, and we're grateful to Homegrown Tap & Dough for turning a delicious meal into an opportunity to give back," said Bob McLaughlin, executive director of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center. "Together, we're honoring their service through action and helping ensure no veteran falls through the cracks."

Design built around military heritage

The dining room leans into the region's military identity rather than generic décor. A large American flag installation by Colorado-based artist Dolan Geiman incorporates authentic military memorabilia donated by families locally and nationwide — including handwritten letters exchanged between overseas servicemen and their families during World War II and the Korean War.

A U.S. Navy garrison cap from a retired naval officer sits in the flag's blue field, alongside Marine Corps insignia, Naval Reserve patches, wartime songbooks, and vintage Colorado keepsakes. A Ski Patrol gondola and vintage Tenth Mountain Division skis honor the World War II Army division that trained in Colorado's high country.

Homegrown Tap & Dough is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. The late-night happy hour and the November pizza-driven donation will give the group its first read on whether the Colorado Springs market can support a broader Front Range push.