Dazzling business under the radar: jazz menu turns a steady profit.

AuthorBeck, Cathie
PositionENTERTAINMENT

IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT DONALD Rossa owns and runs Dazzle Jazz Restaurant & Lounge, Denver's iconic jazz club on Ninth and Lincoln streets--known by regulars simply as "Dazzle."

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What many may be surprised by, however, is that Dazzles been profitable all 15 years it's been in business, an astonishing feat in most jazz club circles. Lucky for the genre's musicians and aficionados, Dazzle's luscious live tunes hail from its halls 364 days a year.

In 1998 Rossa convinced his pal, Miles Snyder, to invest in his vision, when few people frequented anything on the Lincoln Street strip. Rossa gave up his house, car, and other more lucrative career opportunities so he could realize his dream of a combined restaurant and live music venue. "I like people to come together as a community," says Rossa.

And come together they do. Jazz giants like Anita O'Day, Freddy Cole and Lou Tabakan have graced the club's stages, as well as local talent like Lynn Baker and the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra.

But it took Rossa's restaurant management experience to exact a dazzling business formula.

"When we first opened we were the popular martini bar," Rossa says. "Then we added a 20-item, $3.99...

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