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Chef Chad Young keeps the Tavern at Saint Michael's Square local and community-focused
Summary
Chef and owner Chad Young describes turning the Tavern at Saint Michael's Square into a neighborhood spot with Colorado-sourced beers and spirits, weekly specials that draw regulars, a monthly UNC fundraiser called 'Bear Beer,' and plans for modest building updates after years of pandemic-era strain.
Chef Chad Young, a Greeley native with more than 25 years in kitchens and a culinary diploma from the Art Institute of Denver, said he has aimed to bring a fine-dining attitude to comfort food since taking over the Tavern at Saint Michael's Square with his wife in 2012.
"You can still put the fine dining attitude towards more approachable and comfort food," Chad said, explaining the restaurant’s approach. The tavern’s menu leans on daily themes: "Mondays are meatloaf and martinis," he said, adding that Tuesdays feature chili and cinnamon rolls and Fridays spotlight clam chowder.
The tavern has also leaned into local sourcing. "When we took over, we decided we were doing all Colorado beers," Chad said. "Then we started easing into it and we brought in some Colorado wines. And now our whiskeys, our vodkas, are all Colorado products as well." The shift to Colorado craft brands is a deliberate decision he said, despite early skepticism from customers.
The restaurant pairs its local focus with community fundraising. Each week the tavern picks a "Bear Beer" and "every week, we take a portion of those sales," Chad said. "At the end of the month, we make a donation to UNC," he added, saying donations have gone to a mix of campus priorities including NIL funds and arts programs.
Running the tavern has not been without challenge. Chad described the learning curve of first-time ownership and regulatory requirements: "Licensing is a big—there's so many different things with liquor licenses and food service licenses and tax licenses," he said, noting those processes required new skills for the owners.
He also shared how the business has adapted to safety needs after a medical emergency at the bar: during a Friday rush an on-site patron seized and staff called 911; the tavern later put together an emergency-training program for employees. "We put together a kind of a training program for our next employee meeting," Chad said.
Despite earlier plans for growth—a second location or a food truck—Chad said the last five years have tempered expansion ambitions. "This has been a pretty challenging 5 years for restaurants," he said. The tavern’s immediate priorities are building repairs, modest remodeling and possibly adding seating before revisiting expansion.
Beyond operations, the tavern hosts community events, including a weekly trivia night with Geeks Who Drink and themed four-course dinners paired with cocktails. The business advertises budget-conscious draws: Saturday $6 burgers and discounted craft beer cans ("$3.50 for a craft beer can and $6 for a burger") and weekend brunch with bottomless mimosas.
Chad said he stays in Greeley because of family ties and the growing local food and drink scene: "When we first started, Crabtree was about the only craft brewery in Greeley. Oh, yeah. And now we've got Wylie Roots, and we've got Weld Works and everybody." He urged prospective restaurateurs to research licensing and consult local resources, recommending the Chamber of Commerce and city staff as starting points.
The interview closed with lighter moments—an "oops" kitchen story about accidentally salting a crème brûlée and a rapid-fire round revealing he prefers dogs and beer—before the production wrapped with a reminder to subscribe to the Greeley Business Beat.
The tavern’s donations to UNC were described as a pooled portion of weekly beer sales; the transcript does not include donation amounts. Chad credited staff collaboration and community ties for shaping the menu and keeping the tavern a neighborhood gathering place.
