Antony Bruno
Audio By Carbonatix
Some people just can’t catch a break. As if the economic climate isn’t difficult enough for restaurant owners, one Denver couple is now reeling from not one, but two disastrous accidents that have occurred at two separate restaurants they own, roughly two miles apart.
In February, Jason and Hallie Alfonso’s Odyssey Italian Restaurant was forced to close after a fire broke out in the Sicilian-themed establishment on 603 East Sixth Avenue. The temporary closure of that restaurant was tough, but at least they had some semblance of a silver lining in that they could divert customers to their other concept, Ollie & Park’s, at 1210 East 17th Avenue in Uptown.
Then, this past weekend, a U-Haul truck crashed into the side of Ollie & Park’s, leaving a giant gaping hole in the wall where the bar is located and forcing that establishment to close as well. The cause of the crash is not yet clear.
“It’s just one thing after another,” says Hallie, still reeling less than 24 hours after the incident occurred. “We’ve owned multiple restaurants, but I’ve never had a fire like we did at Odyssey and I’ve never had a U-Haul truck crash into our restaurant before. It’s just a shock.”
Fortunately, no customers or staff were hurt in the accident, even though Ollie & Park’s was open for business when the crash occurred. The bartender was away from the site of the impact attending to some tables.
However, the damage to the business could prove devastating. While insurance coverage will manage the cost of cleanup and repair, the loss of income from both restaurants now being closed puts a sharp constraint on cash flow.
Antony Bruno
Work on Odyssey has been moving forward, according to Hallie, who estimates that space could reopen in a matter of three to four weeks. The fire damage could have been fixed faster, but the couple took the time as an opportunity to update the kitchen and other elements of the space.
“It’s a work in progress,” Hallie says. “But this won’t inhibit us from opening up Odyssey again.”
Whether Ollie & Park’s lives to see another day is less certain. The full extent of the damage is as-yet unclear, as is how big a constraint the now-non-existent revenue proves to the business overall. Depending on the repairs needed, it could be weeks or months before they reopen this second spot.
“Of course we want to open it back up. I mean, it’s named after two of our children,” Hallie says. “I love that place, but we’ll just have to see what happens. We haven’t really had time to process and think.”
Ollie & Park’s is located at 1210 East 17th Avenue. For more information, visit ollieparks.com or follow it on Instagram at @ollieandparks.
