Check Out Jill and Tom Concannon’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill and Tom Concannon.

Hi Jill and Tom, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
It had always been a dream of mine, having worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years to open my own sandwich shop. As a NY native, I have had lots of experience with eating good food and I wanted to bring my ideas to Denver. I began taking business classes through the Small Business Development Center(SBDC). These classes culminated in the winter of 2018.

While I understood the restaurant industry, I also wanted to understand the ins and out of actually running a business. Through the process of taking these classes and networking in the north metro area of Denver, things started to develop and we had a lead on a lease for a space in our community in Thornton. It felt like Old School Heros was taking shape.

Throughout the winter of 2020, plans began to form, and we were growing more excited that our dream would become a reality. Then, in March 2020, everything came to a screeching halt. It all fell apart with the COVID panic. It was heartbreaking, but we knew that something would eventually come to light to help us make the right decision regarding opening our restaurant. We really wanted to pursue this dream for ourselves and for our family, but with the world in such a crazy state, it felt impossible at the time.

Enter ChefReady, Denver’s newest virtual kitchen concept for restaurants. The idea of an online ordering-only concept for takeout and delivery seemed perfect for us. Even though it took us outside of our community, the idea of delivery and takeout was so big during COVID, that we felt we could really find a foothold in the Denver market and provide our great sandwiches and sides to-go in an area that was really needing more restaurants.

Old School Heros officially opened in August 2021 as the first restaurant serving customers in the ChefReady building located in Platte Park at 1468 S. Cherokee Street. While it was quite the journey, it worked out well for us and our family. We enjoy having our teenagers come down and assist us in the kitchen also-it’s a family affair. On August 18th we celebrated being open for one year. We thank everyone for supporting us and helping us to make our dream come true.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our online ordering is only for pick up and the delivery virtual kitchen is a family-owned NY-style deli in Denver. Old School Heros is where you come to get quality sandwiches, salads, and pasta you’ll love at an affordable price. We can make sandwiches and salads any way our customers want. We use the local City Bakery for our bread and only use Boar’s Head Meats and Cheeses.

We have our own family recipes on our menu including Tommy’s Famous Mac and Cheese which is something we serve at EVERY family party. We also have our homemade Devil’s Own Potato Salad and our Pickle of a Pasta Salad. Probably our most popular item is our homemade Black and White cookie(we can’t keep up with the demand! We feel we are different than other delis because everything is made to order and all the salads and pasta are homemade by us. Serving good food is our passion!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We love Denver’s weather and the ability to be able to attend sporting events, Broadway shows and eat in terrific restaurants. We love its proximity to the mountains and especially enjoy the summer activities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oldschoolheros.com
• Instagram: @oldschoolherosdenver
• Facebook: @oldschoolherosdenver