Family-owned Pueblo restaurant opens in-door dining after 2 years of not being able to find workers

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO)-- El Nopal Restaurant in Pueblo finally opened its indoor dining area nearly a week ago.

Owner George Torres said the small business has been a staple in Pueblo since 1955 and longtime customers are excited to be back to eating indoors.

In 2020, most restaurants were forced to close their doors to indoor dining.

Torres said carryout was doing great at first, but once in-person dining returned, the volume of business before the pandemic never fully came back, and then came the issue of trying to find workers.

"It's been an ongoing struggle for the last two years for us, you know, wanting to get our dining room back open," Torres said.

According to a 2022 survey by the Colorado Restaurant Association, more than half of the restaurants in the state are still struggling to keep workers.

While Torres' business is up and running again, he's still worried about another hiring slump.

 "It's a scary thought to think that, you know, we may lose some of these people that we have now," Torres said.

Still, Torres remains optimistic and is excited to continue greeting new and old customers as well as working with new staff.

The restaurant has updated its hours and they will go into effect starting Thursday.

Tuesday-Wednesday: 11:00 AM-6:30 PM

Thursday-Friday: 11:00 AM-7:00 PM

Sunday and Monday: Closed

For more information on the restaurant, visit https://puebloelnopal.com/