Shortlist
Discover the best of Denver with a new themed Shortlist every month, voted by locals.
Every month, Shortlist runs a new competition around a single category: coffee, pizza, sushi, cocktails, breweries. We hand-pick 10 to 15 of the best spots in Denver, locals try them with exclusive perks, and at the end of the month we crown the winners.
It's a discovery platform built on three things people actually want: a curated list they can trust, a reason to leave the house, and a real say in what's good.
- Brand & Identity
- Product Design
- Web Design & Development
- Growth & Acquisition
- Lifecycle (SMS + Email)
- Local Partnerships
- Content & Curation
- Community Building
A new city ritual.
12 shops. 500 passes. 2,700 visits.
The Denver Coffee Shortlist ran February 4 to March 4, 2025 with 12 of the city's best independent coffee shops: Huckleberry Roasters, Blue Sparrow, Sweet Bloom, Sati, Prodigy, SloHi, Queen City Collective, and more. Sploot signed on as presenting sponsor.
Pass holders got a $5 credit at every shop, over $60 in perks per pass. We sold every pass before the campaign was halfway done, and the program drove 2,700 verified visits across the twelve shops in four weeks.
- Presented by Sploot
- 12 nominees
- $60+ in perks per pass
- Sold out in under 2 weeks
Curate. Try. Vote. Crown.
Each month we nominate 10–15 standout spots in a single category. Locals grab a pass that gets them a free item or credit at every nominee, then vote at the end of the month. Winners get featured on year-round Best Of lists and maps.
Free voters get one vote. Pass holders get ten, because the people putting in the work to actually try every spot should have the loudest say.
- Discover the best
- Grab a pass + try the nominees
- Vote for your favorites
- Crown the winner
No pay-to-play. No corporate chains. Just honest local intel.
We start with what people actually talk about: where lines form, what spots have cult followings, who's putting real care into the craft. Then we look at quality, originality, and whether a place adds something to Denver's scene.
If a chain is genuinely exceptional, fine. Otherwise we're picking from the same independent restaurants and bars locals are already arguing about at dinner.
$20–30 pays for itself on the first stop.
Pass holders get a free item or credit at every nominee on the list: sometimes a $5 credit, sometimes a full slice or cocktail. By stop two or three, the pass is paid back; the rest of the month is on the house.
Season Pass holders get $20/mo and access to every Shortlist as it drops.
