DENVER — The owner of two Denver restaurants is facing back-to-back crises after a U-Haul truck crashed into one of his locations, forcing it to close, just as he was preparing to reopen a second restaurant that had been shut down for months following a fire.
Jason Alfonso owns both Ollie and Park’s and Odyssey Italian Restaurant. Odyssey has been closed since mid-February after an exhaust fan on the outside of the building caught fire and spread into the attic. Alfonso said he was hoping to reopen Odyssey within the next month or so when the crash happened.
Denver7's Ethan Carlson spoke to the people affected by these incidents. Watch the story in the video player below:
A U-Haul truck slammed into the side of Ollie and Park’s at around 4 p.m. Sunday, sending the vehicle through the bar and approximately 10 feet into the building.
“If the bartender was behind the bar, he probably could have lost his life. Thank God he was outside, waiting on some tables out there,” Alfonso said.
General Manager Ned Nichols said the scene was chaotic in the immediate aftermath.
“Panic. Six Fire trucks… my bartender was in shock. Just disarray and shock from the staff and the bystanders,” Nichols said. “Luckily, we had police and fire here in a moment. They were outstanding. They were amazing.”
Despite the severity of the crash, no one was injured. Nichols called that a blessing.
“There were two guests sitting here having cocktails… and my bartender… who is a sweet kid, was standing outside,” said Nichols. “It’s a miracle nobody got hurt.”
Alfonso said the building does not appear to have sustained structural damage, as the vehicle missed the support beans. However, he estimates the damage alone could reach at least $100,000, and likely more.
“It’s always more,” Alfonso said.
Alfonso said the front of the restaurant could take six to eight weeks to repair, though the timeline depends heavily on the insurance process.
“It’s [about] getting the insurance company in here, getting in the payout for us to move forward. Odyssey probably could have been open a couple weeks ago if we would have gotten the insurance money faster,” Alfonso said.
The closures have left approximately 15 workers at Ollie and Park’s without jobs. Alfonso had already moved some Odyssey employees to Ollie and Park’s to fill gaps during that closure.
“These people depend on this income,” said Alfonso. “The biggest part is everyone that lives paycheck to paycheck, which is probably 95% of the people in our business… What are we going to do next? How are they going to pay their bills?”
Nichols said the priority now is finding a way forward for the staff.
“There are families that don’t have work, and we’ve got to figure all that out,” said Nichols. “At least nobody’s in the hospital, nobody’s hurt, and something outrageously horrific didn’t happen. That’s a blessing.”
He acknowledged the timeline for reopening Ollie and Park’s remains uncertain.
“Could be a month, could be eight months. When it comes to insurance companies and engineers and all that stuff, everything goes on hold, and it’s heartbreaking,” Nichols said.
Alfonso said the immediate focus is getting Odyssey back open, with a target of three to four weeks.
“Our number one goal now is to get Odyssey back open,” he said
It is still too early in the investigation to determine the cause of the crash at Ollie and Park’s.
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