Local resources provide relief to restaurant owners in Old Colorado City

OLD COLORADO CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- An Italian restaurant in Old Colorado City is staying afloat during the coronavirus pandemic through the help of several local resources.

Dennis and JoAnn Trujillo, who own Dat's Italian, say they were expecting 2020 to be one of their most successful years after returning to the kitchen and gathering a steady following.

But when the restaurant closed in March due to COVID-19, the couple says they took some heavy financial losses.

“That was really tough to take," Dennis Trujillo said. "Especially when we were planning on having the best year of our 10 years at Dat’s Italian.”

Although the eatery is offering curbside pickup, Trujillo says it's mostly a "morale boost" since they are only making about 15% of what they usually earn.

In order to keep their employees working, the couple contacted several banks to access funds from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Yet it was only a local bank that got their request approved.

“We called up Pikes Peak National Bank and within three hours they had our application in, approved," Trujillo said. "And we got our check about three days later.”

Robin Roberts, the CEO of Pikes Peak National Bank, says regional banks may not be as overwhelmed in applications and can sometimes offer quicker relief to local business owners.

She also said her bank has given existing customers aid by deferring certain types of payments.

"We were really proactive and reached out to them as soon as the pandemic hit and offered interest-only payment options and payment deferrals," Roberts said. "So that of all the things they had to worry about, making their mortgage or equipment payment wasn’t an issue.”

The Trujillo couple have also found help through the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center. JoAnn says she's taken a couple of workshops which have helped her adapt their business model during COVID-19.

Aikta Marcoulier, the director of the center, says she's proud to offer low-cost services and workshops for businesses in the Pikes Peak region.

“Dat’s Italian has done a fantastic job and there are businesses in our town that have done a fantastic job with pivoting and doing their best to make it," Marcoulier said. "That’s what we promote and that’s what we help with.”

The center is also providing virtual lunch-ins throughout May to help business owners recover and become more resilient after the coronavirus.