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Colorado restaurants worry the governor’s latest coronavirus restrictions are the final blow

Colorado restaurants worry the governor’s latest coronavirus restrictions are the final blow

Jennifer Brown and Tamara Chuang
The Colorado Sun

Palenque Cocina y Agaveria has tried its best to withstand the coronavirus, serving margaritas in a garden patio and carrying smoky bowls of molcajete to its breezy rooftop overlooking downtown Littleton.

Owner Brian Rossi shut down for one week as the first wave of illness hit Colorado, then reopened during the long spring quarantine for takeout only. He closed for 10 days this fall when 12 employees were sick with COVID-19. And in between, Rossi received a federal, forgivable loan so he could keep his staff of 75 on the payroll.

But as new coronavirus restrictions take effect Friday for Arapahoe County and 14 others, forcing restaurants once again to end indoor dining, Rossi isn’t sure how much more his independent restaurant can take.



Rossi will cut his staff to about 12, focus on take-out, and not bother keeping the restaurant rooftop open for the handful of people brave enough to eat outside as the weather turns cold.

“Now we are playing the game of how do we lose the least amount of money?” Rossi said. “Making money is not even in the vocabulary anymore.”

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