Daniel Ramirez, the co-CEO of Los Dos Potrillos, said there isn’t one singular word that can describe how difficult the last year has been as a restaurant owner.

Denver lifts outdoor mask order, will allow 100% capacity for restaurants, gyms

From the state abruptly shutting down Los Dos Portillos’ four locations last March to laying off many of their staff members and implementing curbside-to-go options, Daniel and his brother Luis have constantly changed their daily operations since the start of the pandemic.

But on Tuesday, the brothers were given a reason to smile as the Douglas County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution that would remove the county from the Tri-County Health Department’s public order.

This will allow two of their restaurants in Highlands Ranch and Parker to operate at 100% capacity without restrictions beginning Friday. 

“It feels like Christmas morning,” Daniel Ramirez said. “We’ve been looking forward to this since March 16 where we were going to be on a mask mandate for four weeks, but that’s now lasted over a year, so it’s honestly just like Christmas morning.”

Colorado health experts say change in COVID policy will lead to more hospitalizations, deaths

On Friday, the state will cede much of the COVID response authority to local counties. In a press conference Wednesday morning, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced the county will adopt the state’s dial and will move from Level Yellow to Level Blue. 

All restaurants in Denver can operate at 100% capacity beginning Friday, but for some owners like Blake Street Tavern Owner Chris Fuselier, the spacing restrictions are still harming local establishments.

“We have a capacity of 800, but with the 6 feet distancing, we’re really at about 350,” Fuselier said. “So we’re not even at 50%. … So you know, it sounds better marketing wise, but what I really want is like Douglas County on Friday.”

Randy Strothers, the general manager for Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill, shared a similar sentiment. Both he and Fuselier, whose business is Five Star certified, agreed that the move was great for Denver’s restaurant industry, but they’d like to see establishments who went through the trouble of becoming certified get something more.

“Now that everyone gets the same rules as non-certified (businesses) why should we stay in the program?” Fuselier said. “I knew everything would go away eventually. … If they want to keep the program around, they’ll need to offer more incentives.”

In order to keep people within the Five Star program, Fuselier is suggesting that the county allows certified businesses to allow 4 feet of distancing between tables, or allow businesses to install plexiglass between booth, tables and seats at the bar.

James Doxon, the director of culinary operations for Vibe Concept, who owns the Great Divide Brewery and Roadhouse in Castle Rock, said despite the county’s decision to allow 100% capacity and no spacing restrictions, he won’t begin to relax his safety and health protocols.

“All of those procedures are set in place to keep our environment as safe as possible, and they won’t just disappear overnight,” Doxon said. “We’re going to have our employees continue to wear masks, we’re going to keep our tables 6 feet apart and have everything stay the same.”

Although Los Dos Portillos will no longer space their tables 6 feet from each other, the Ramirez brothers said their employee protocol will also remain in place. 

And despite restrictions varying by county, Daniel Ramirez said they are ready to get back to some sense of normalcy.

“On Thursday night, we’re going to say, ‘Holy cow, we’ve been through this for over a year now,’ and it’s shocking because it’s something we’ve been looking forward to since last March,” Ramirez said. “This is a great move and it really gives us a sense of normality and the potential of ‘Hey, we’re almost there,’ and although Douglas County is the first one, I believe other counties will follow suit shortly.”