The new operator of the long-struggling Zeppelin Station food hall says he has walked away from his lease, a move that could complicate efforts to sell the RiNo building.

Josh Schmitz of Ruckus Hospitality told BusinessDen Monday that an investor he expected to finance his $1.4 million build-out of the food hall as Clever Girl backed out after learning the property was in receivership.

“Unless we had the capital to make it a destination, we couldn’t make it financially viable,” he said.

The receiver that oversees the four-story building at 3501 Wazee St. described the situation with Ruckus somewhat differently in a court filing last week, writing only that Clever Girl “did not pay the July 2025 rental payments required by the lease.”

“The Receiver believes that if the food hall tenant

See Full Page