Drive down East 1st Avenue in Arista on a Friday night and you'll see a parking lot that's actually full. The Cherry Cricket's marquee sign glows over what used to be an empty Old Chicago, and the patio they call the Burger Garden is doing exactly what a beer garden is supposed to do on a warm evening. Cut over to FlatIron Crossing and you'll see something different: banners on storefronts that say "opening fall 2026," construction fencing around the HiFi buildout, and a mall with additional openings scheduled in phases.
For anyone choosing where to spend a Friday night, that difference is practical as well as visible.
Arista got there first
The Cherry Cricket opened its Broomfield location on August 25, 2025, and it's worth pausing on what that means a year later. This is the burger institution's fourth location and its northernmost one, built into roughly 8,500 square feet at 1280 East 1st Avenue, the same building that used to house an Old Chicago. It seats more than 325 guests between the dining room and the Burger Garden patio, and it employs over 100 people, which is a real number for a neighborhood restaurant, not a chain outpost with a skeleton crew.
In a CBS News Colorado report about the opening, general manager Taylor Hauenstein said, "It's our northernmost location, and I think it's kind of perfectly situated. It's a great suburb." Uncover Colorado quoted Mayor Guyleen Castriotta welcoming it with similar warmth, saying it had "earned its legendary status by focusing on what truly matters."
A short walk away, inside the Arista community itself, Hickory & Ash has been doing its own version of the same thing with less fanfare. It's a modern American meatery helmed by Executive Chef Ryan Taylor, whose father is the well-known Denver chef Kevin Taylor. The beef on the menu comes exclusively from Aspen Ridge Ranch, and the space seats around 66 in a private dining room plus another 24 on a patio. Both restaurants have been full for months.
What's opening at FlatIron Crossing
At FlatIron Crossing, the HiFi redevelopment has businesses already open and others scheduled to open later. Here's the status as of this fall.
| Status | Business | Location detail |
|---|---|---|
| Already open | Anthropologie | Lower level, across from lululemon |
| Already open | Abercrombie & Fitch | Lower level, next to Apple |
| Already open | gorjana | Lower level, next to Abercrombie & Fitch |
| Already open | OFFLINE by aerie | Lower level, near Gap |
| Opening fall 2026 | Warby Parker | Lower level, next to M.A.C Cosmetics |
| Opening fall 2026 | Levi's | Lower level, by Dick's Sporting Goods |
| Opening fall 2026 | J.Crew Factory | New to the property |
| Opening fall 2026 | Rowan | Lower level, next to Anthropologie |
| Opening 2027 | Shake Shack | Broomfield's first location |
| Opening 2027 | Blue Sushi Sake Grill | North Metro's first location |
| Opening 2027 | Memoir – An American Grill | Colorado's first location |
| Opening spring 2027 | Pindustry | 34,000 square feet, up to 1,200 guests |
The table shows the retail and dining projects on different timelines: retail openings are scheduled for fall 2026, with the restaurant and entertainment options following in 2027.
The In-N-Out proposal on West 120th Avenue has gone through more than one review. The chain first floated a location at 5005 West 120th Avenue, withdrew that proposal after residents raised concerns about traffic, and came back with a new concept review this February for a site at 4181 West 120th Avenue, a few blocks east along a stretch already anchored by Chick-fil-A, Noodles & Co., Raising Cane's, IHOP and Ted's Montana Grill. As of this writing that's still a concept review, not a groundbreaking.
The one Saturday that belongs to neither corridor
The Broomfield fall calendar also includes an event beyond the restaurant and retail openings: Broomfield Days, set for Saturday, September 19, at Midway Park.
This isn't a soft-launch or a ribbon cutting. It's the city's flagship event, and its schedule has brought residents together for decades. The morning starts with the Rotary Club pancake breakfast and the Mayor's Cup 5K and Fun Run, followed by the community parade stepping off around 9:30 a.m. from Main Street down Midway Boulevard. From there it's more than 300 vendor booths, the SRB Car Show running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grass in South Midway Park, three stages of live music, the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair, and the BowWow Broomfield DockDogs competition on the park's south side. Admission is free. Food and the inflatables are pay as you go.
It's the kind of event that doesn't care whether your favorite new restaurant is at Arista or still under construction at FlatIron. It's the town showing up for itself, the way it has every third Saturday in September for years.
What else is quietly happening this month
A few smaller details are worth knowing if you're planning your fall around Broomfield rather than around a single corridor.
- The Broomfield Depot Museum at Zang Spur Park is closed for the entire month of September for repairs, so hold off on a visit until October if that's on your list.
- The Broomfield Historical Society's Apple Harvest Fest at the Brunner Farmhouse and Gardens is on the fall calendar this year, a smaller and quieter counterpoint to the scale of Broomfield Days.
- The Broomfield Auditorium has a Fall Artist in Residence performance on the schedule, "Stories of Migration and Music," presented jointly by the Boulder Philharmonic String Quartet and Motus Theater.
None of these compete with the mall or the Arista corridor for attention, and that's kind of the point. Broomfield's fall calendar has more than one register, from a 30,000-person community festival down to a quartet performance in a city auditorium.
What this says about living here
HiFi is a 25-acre plan with anchor tenants signed, and several listed openings are scheduled for 2027. This fall, the Cherry Cricket and Hickory & Ash are open in Arista, and Broomfield Days is scheduled for September 19 at Midway Park. Together, they offer a snapshot of what is open now and what is planned for next year in Broomfield.
If you're new to Broomfield or you've been meaning to explore beyond your usual loop, consider the Cherry Cricket's Burger Garden and Broomfield Days on September 19.
If you're thinking about buying or selling in Broomfield and want a read on how these kinds of neighborhood shifts actually affect timing and pricing, not just where to grab dinner, John Chrisbens would love to talk through it with you. Let's Connect.
