Denver Bar Owner Launches Restaurant Gift Card Sharing Site

My Brother's Bar's Danny Newman creates 'Shift Meal' to help struggling restaurants promote each other

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Danny Newman, owner of the long-running My Brother's Bar in Denver, has launched a new website called Shift Meal that allows restaurant owners to upload and exchange e-gift cards. The goal is to help promote different restaurants to new customers and provide a low-cost marketing opportunity during a challenging time for the local restaurant industry.

Why it matters

With Denver losing 6% of its establishments and 15% of full-service restaurants since 2020, Newman sees Shift Meal as a way for struggling 'middle-priced, comfort, classic spots' to help each other out and 'raise all boats' through cross-promotion and shared gift cards.

The details

Through Shift Meal, restaurant owners can upload e-gift cards of any amount, then choose from a pool of other participating restaurants to either use the cards themselves or give to employees. Newman says thousands of dollars in meals have been exchanged in the three weeks since Shift Meal launched, with 20 local spots signed up so far. He charges a 'minimal' fee, but only in gift card form so restaurants don't have to pay out of pocket. Newman hopes Shift Meal can help drive word-of-mouth promotion and get new customers in the door, where they'll likely spend additional money.

  • Shift Meal launched in early March 2026.
  • Newman recently added Sunday brunch service at My Brother's Bar last year to help supplement declining sales.

The players

Danny Newman

The owner of My Brother's Bar in Denver, who recently launched the Shift Meal website to help struggling local restaurants promote each other through gift card exchanges.

My Brother's Bar

A long-running bar and restaurant in Denver that has been owned by Danny Newman since 2017.

Shift Meal

A new website created by Danny Newman that allows restaurant owners to upload and exchange e-gift cards as a low-cost marketing tool.

EatDenver

A local restaurant industry group that Newman plans to meet with about Shift Meal in the coming weeks.

Boulder Restaurant Alliance

A local restaurant industry group that Newman plans to meet with about Shift Meal in the coming weeks.

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What they’re saying

“It's an easy way to get new folks trying new things, and it's great low-fee, no-fee marketing.”

— Danny Newman, Owner, My Brother's Bar (The Denver Post)

“My goal here is just to explore and promote all the spots.”

— Danny Newman, Owner, My Brother's Bar (The Denver Post)

“Shift Meal is a direct response to what restaurants locally are facing, and a reason why we built it was to help each other. It's purely there to help raise all boats.”

— Danny Newman, Owner, My Brother's Bar (The Denver Post)

What’s next

Newman plans to continue meeting with local restaurant industry groups like EatDenver and the Boulder Restaurant Alliance to promote Shift Meal and get more restaurants signed up.

The takeaway

In the face of a challenging environment for Denver's restaurant industry, with many middle-priced and classic spots closing, Shift Meal represents a creative, collaborative effort by a local business owner to help struggling restaurants support each other through cross-promotion and shared resources.