High Point Creamery Owner Erika Thomas Calls for Support of the Restaurant Relief Bill

Nearly five years ago to the day, I stood in the middle of a very empty Denver Central Market, stunned by the weight of what had just happened. We were a world in peril, COVID-19 had swiftly taken over our lives, and restaurants were ordered to close their doors. The fear of what could happen next settled into in a low-grade panic that didn't stop for a couple of years. 

How bad was this going to get? How many people were going to die? How many businesses wouldn’t make it through?

I really wasn’t sure we could survive. Could we pivot, change, be resilient enough?

Unbelievably, for us, the answer was yes. But it was not without a lot of strife. I thought 2020 was bad, then came 2021, 2022, 2023… Each year keeps getting harder.

Nearly a quarter of Denver’s restaurants have closed over the past three years. I’ll let people smarter than me figure out whose fault it is. Is it inflation? Cost of goods? Rent? Wages? Fentanyl? Crime? It is of course, all those things. There’s one universal cure for every restaurant’s struggle: revenue. But when people are struggling to pay their rent and buy groceries, there’s not a lot left for dining out… maybe an ice cream cone or two.

In March 2020, Denver’s tipped minimum wage was $9.83. Today, it’s $15.79 — that’s a staggering 60 percent increase. In March 2020, the tip offset was $3.02, and five years later? It’s still $3.02. I’ll let you do the math.

The proposed Restaurant Relief Bill aims to keep Colorado's restaurants operational by adjusting the state's rigid tip offset laws. It’s not about cutting wages—it’s about creating a system that allows independent restaurants to compete, survive, and pay all workers fairly. It acknowledges that sustainability isn’t just about great food and service—it’s about ensuring that independent restaurants can keep their doors open while taking care of their teams. Importantly, the bill does not decrease the non-tipped minimum wage, ensuring that all employees continue to earn competitive pay while maintaining their tips.

Will this bill save every restaurant? No. But it will help. And, most importantly, it will help bridge the growing pay gap between kitchen staff and front-of-house workers—a divide that has only widened as labor costs skyrocket.

So, why should you care about what happens to your neighborhood restaurant? Because we are the backbone of your community. We are the place makers. We employ 11 percent of all Coloradans. We celebrate your milestones, feed your families, and provide gathering spaces where memories are made.

I will keep fighting for all independent restaurants because since I stood in the empty Denver Central Market all those years ago, almost half of the owners have had to walk away.

I also know that most owners are just like me. 

I love my team. I love our neighborhoods. I love being part of your celebrations, your routines, your post-game victories and heartbreaks, your birthdays, your friendships, your good grades, your bad days. I love that ice cream has the power to turn someone’s day around.

We don’t want a handout; we want a fair shot. The Restaurant Relief Bill won’t fix everything, but it’s a step in the right direction. And I believe that restaurants like ours—restaurants built on passion, creativity, and community—deserve to survive. We’ve made it this far, but now we need you. Your support. Your voices. Your presence at our tables, in our shops.

Because when independent restaurants disappear, something bigger is lost: the heart and soul of our cities, the places that make our communities feel like home. When we fight for small businesses, we’re fighting for the communities we love.

Erika Thomas is the owner of Eiskaffee and High Point Creamery, which has four locations in Denver.

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