Comment on As Denver’s minimum wage increases, restaurateur confidence lowers

When Joel Appel bought Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, he didn’t expect it to be this hard. At the time he reopened the Jewish joint’s doors in 2022, Denver’s minimum wage was $15.87. On Jan. 1, that number will be $18.81. According to a survey from The Colorado Restaurant Association, the hike will cost Denver restaurants an average of over $51,000 next year. “It just makes it very, very difficult,” Appel said, who took over Zaidy’s after it closed in 2020.