Dan Maguire and Jennifer Davis are two hardworking small business owners. They own and operate two food trucks in Larimer County. Originally from New York, Dan spent most of his childhood on the East Coast. He attended culinary school in Connecticut and came to Colorado for a culinary externship in Vail in late 2009. There, he would meet Jennifer Davis, his future wife and business partner.
Jennifer is from the Midwest and moved to Colorado after graduating from college. They worked together in Vail for five years and made many connections and friends with the locals, who would later work with them at their restaurants, Joe Zeppys and Chow Pizza. The inspiration for Joe Zeppys comes from Dan’s grandfather, Joe Maguire.
Joe is originally from Italy and moved to New York in the 1970s. He would also become a restaurant owner. It was “a casual place outside of Brooklyn, and he had no aspiration for it to become anything huge,” said Dan, “He just wanted a place to hang out with friends and family.” Dan spoke of fond memories of his grandfather and the restaurant he owned. It was his first and biggest inspiration to become a chef in the culinary world.
Dan’s grandfather is also the inspiration for the traditional food they serve at their food trucks. To Dan and his family, there is nothing better than traditional Italian food. They have fights and arguments about who makes better food, and Dan has kept this viewpoint his entire life.
After his externship, Dan and Jennifer moved to New Jersey to work with Dan’s family. After living back home for a while, Dan decided that he wanted to open a restaurant. It was then that Jennifer recommended they look at northern Colorado, as her mother lived in Fort Collins.
After deciding to return to Colorado in 2019, Dan and Jennifer began planning to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Loveland. Their plans were smooth sailing, and they even had a bid on a new mini-mall development that was about to go into construction.
That was when tragedy hit in the form of a global pandemic. “There was a lot of fear and uncertainty… a global pandemic was a super scary thought,” said Dan. The development they bought into was canceled, and everything regarding their business was at a standstill.
A few months passed, and Dan’s grandfather, the inspiration for the name and cuisine served at their restaurant, recommended they do a food truck instead. “A truck could make you a success,” said Joe Maguire to Dan. At first, Dan was against the idea as he was unsure if it would succeed.
It was then that Jennifer decided that a truck would be a great idea. They would be able to work during the pandemic and also keep their dream of owning a restaurant. With the plans finalized, Dan and Jennifer began work on a stressful and goal-oriented beginning.
The beginning proved to be challenging for Dan and Jennifer. As with most beginnings, they had to deal with a myriad of troubles. From events being canceled to employees quitting due to a lack of consistent pay, Dan and Jennifer had their hands full. They tried many different solutions, but nothing seemed to be working. They were close to quitting and returning to Vail, where they would have consistent work.
It almost came to that when they finally got a massive opportunity. It was in early 2021 when they finally got the offer they sought. They were hired to cater an event for the first time. This event, however, would lead them to many other opportunities in and around Larimer County. Because of the connections they made during this time, they were able to not only keep the truck open but also hire new employees and, by the end of 2021, open a new truck that served pizza.
Around this time, Dan had a new goal in mind for his food: to improve the culinary scene in Colorado. He began to notice that not many people in Colorado were familiar with traditional Italian food.
Coming from a background where everyone takes their food seriously, Dan decided he wanted to change how people view Italian food. “The number one thing I want people to know is that we are very committed to elevating the food scene in this area. There is a lot of improvement to be done, and we want to be a part of it. We want to leave it better than we found it. We want to elevate people’s palettes,” said Dan.
In this video, Dan Maguire takes us through the process of making the food for Joe Zeppys.
Since then, Dan and Jennifer have been very successful with their two food trucks. They do events for businesses, Colorado State University, and many other Fort Collins and Loveland-sanctioned events. They have changed the food truck scene in northern Colorado, and their Italian influence is making waves around the area.
They are very fond of the students at CSU and have enjoyed seeing them come out for their food. “College kids are hardworking, and they are more compassionate… they respect hard work,” said Jennifer.
Dan and Jennifer want to continue their work, and sometime in the next two years, they will open a brick-and-mortar location for all of their food. “We definitely want to open a brick-and-mortar location and simultaneously keep the trucks going so everyone in Larimer County can enjoy our food,” said Jennifer.
With their genuine love of Italian food and their passion as business owners, Dan and Jennifer, along with Joe Zeppys, will continue to be a success in northern Colorado and the entire state of Colorado.
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If you enjoyed my story about Joe Zeppys, please check out this list of other great restaurants in Fort Collins owned and operated by hardworking immigrants!
Thank you for reading, watching, and listening to this process. It took three months for all of this work to come together, and I appreciate you for viewing this transmedia project. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you!
The Story of Joe Zeppys and it's Hardworking Owners 
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