Frank Day, champion of hospitality and health care education, dies at 93

Frank Day, a pioneering Colorado restaurateur whose generous support of Metropolitan State University of Denver will help shape the state’s hospitality and health care industries for generations, died Aug. 13. He was 93.

Last year, Day and his wife, Gina, pledged a transformative $10 million gift to support the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute at MSU Denver. The largest philanthropic contribution ever made to the University will help fund the construction of a new five-story health-education facility on campus, advancing interprofessional education for the next generation of health care professionals.

The Days’ philanthropy built on earlier support for MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality, where a $1.5 million gift in 2019 created the Day Leadership Academy and a new Hospitality Industry Leadership major.

Lynn Minnaert, Ph.D., dean of the MSU Denver School of Hospitality, remembered Frank Day as “an industry giant who had a profound impact on MSU Denver students.”

“He was a visionary leader whose wit, candor and sharp insights were legendary,” she said. “He had a passion for nurturing emerging talent, and we will continue his legacy in the Day Leadership Academy, which provides pathways for success in an industry he held so dear.”

Today, a portrait of Gina and Frank Day hangs in the Hospitality Learning Center, alongside a quote from Frank: “The way to achieve your goal is to make it the goal of others. Leadership is the key to success.”

It’s a philosophy that defined Day’s career. After starting a series of hot-dog stands and doughnut shops in the Midwest, Day moved to Boulder in the early 1970s. Over more than five decades, he became a hospitality stalwart, founding Concept Restaurants and operating more than 80 properties, including nationally recognized brands such as Rock Bottom Brewery and Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom. He also restored historic properties such as the Hotel Boulderado and Table Mountain Inn, cementing his reputation as one of Colorado’s most visionary hospitality leaders.

Colleagues remembered Day’s enthusiasm for a well-led restaurant team in action, comparing it to dancers perfectly choreographed in a “ballet” to provide memorable customer service — his vision of the highest goal for hospitality guests and employees alike.

Meanwhile, MSU Denver students entering the state’s most in-demand health care fields will also benefit from the Days’ philanthropic legacy and commitment to collaboration. The Day Health Institute, which brings 10 health-related academic departments under one roof, provides students with integrated, interprofessional training.

The new 70,000-square-foot Day Health Institute Tower is slated to open in 2027, supplementing the adjacent state-of-the-art Simulation and Skills Laboratory, which launched in 2024 and is built to mirror modern clinical environments. The Days attended a ribbon-cutting last year that celebrated the opening of that lab.

“Frank’s vision and generosity, alongside his wife, Gina, helped lay the foundation for the Day Health Institute,” said Hope Szypulski, DNP, dean of MSU Denver’s College of Health and Human Sciences. “Their transformative gift sparks a future of opportunity, innovation and care for countless students and the communities we serve. Frank’s legacy will live on in every life touched through this work.”