It is no secret restaurants in Denver are struggling to keep up with rising product and labor costs. In the past three years, the number of licensed retail food, or restaurant, licenses issued in Denver has decreased by about 22%, according to the Department of Excise and Licenses in Denver.
On the corner of East 20th Avenue and Logan Street in Denver sits Coperta, an Italian restaurant known for its rustic Southern Italian cuisine. The restaurant has kept its doors open for nine years, but it hasn’t been easy.
“Every year, as the minimum wage rises, we have to make adjustments. We can’t absorb a minimum wage increase without raising menu prices or finding other sources of revenue,” said Aileen V. Reilly, co-owner of Coperta…