Pete's Kitchen sees surge of support after posting about Colfax BRT construction

DENVER — The iconic neon sign on top of Pete’s Kitchen on Colfax is looking a little less bright these days, overshadowed by a sea of construction.

The diner, which has fed hungry customers on East Colfax Avenue for over 60 years, is starting to feel the effects of construction on the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit Project, which began last October.

“There's a lot of construction fatigue going on right now," said general manager Alex Barakos. "I think people are so prone to seeing all the construction, [and] be like, ‘You know what? We're just not going to deal with it today,’ because it really is tough to navigate right now on Colfax."

• View a timeline of the construction below

Barakos told Denver7 the family business saw an 11 percent drop in revenue in the last month due to construction, which is now right outside the diner’s front door.

“I mean, it was sharp, and it literally directly correlated to we're closing the sidewalk and we're closing Race [Street],” he said.

Feeling desperate, Barakos put out a cry for help on the diner’s social media pages.

“It was that thought of like, 'Hey, what if Pete's Kitchen can't stay open because of this?'” Barakos said. “It was basically like, my family's legacy is at risk.”

Not long after the post went out, the tides began to turn.

“We got slammed," Barakos said. "We had the line out the door on Saturday and Sunday."

Bob Pintur told Denver7 he saw the post on social media and decided to drive in from Littleton.

“I got a gyro and fries to go just to help the cause,” he said. “They do a great job in there. Everybody works really hard, and it's an iconic place for Denver, so I don't want to see it go downhill."

The post also garnered attention from local content creators like Nick Howard, also known as @MileHighFoodDude on Instagram, who highlighted Pete's Kitchen after seeing the post.

“When you see Pete's, it's like you have to go through almost like a barrier just to get there," Howard said of the construction. "It's kind of crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, let's go ahead and highlight them.’ And it was a really cool experience, and eye-opening."

Fans of Pete’s Kitchen have made their love for the Denver diner apparent on social media.

“I got a lot of, 'Oh my gosh. I used to go there after the bar, after the club, great late-night food. Used to go there with my family. I grew up going there,’ [in the comments]. So a lot of really positive comments. A lot of history there,” Howard said.

“I was just taken aback at how the community responded to us putting out a cry for help,” Barakos said.

Barakos told Denver7 it's not just about the family restaurant.

“Don't just come support us. Come support everyone on Colfax who's really feeling it right now, you know,” he said.

Barakos hopes the buzz he created with a simple post keeps going.

“It's my duty as somebody who has the iconic brand to speak up for everyone else that doesn't and, again, get everyone out on Colfax to other places, especially the smaller places that really need help right now,” he said.

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