A social media post helps a Durham restaurant avoid foreclosure

The beloved COPA restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, found strong support from its patrons after sharing some posts online asking for financial help. Owners Roberto Matos and Elisabeth Turnbull posted on social media that they needed help, as the pandemic, the very high interest rates on their Small Business Association mortgage, and the sharp increase in the cost of all the supplies they need to operate have put them in a tough spot, to the point where they now need legal assistance to delay the foreclosure they are currently facing.

Turnbull explained in her post that the interest rate on their loan had risen significantly, while their sales dropped by 25 percent, which led her to ask for help from their customers and supporters. “We opened COPA in 2018, and now we have 12 people on our payroll. We’ve all been together through the big challenges of the pandemic,” said Roberto Matos.

Their journey began with their first restaurant called The Old Havana Sandwich Shop, which operated in the space now occupied by Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, a few blocks from COPA’s main street location. Matos also expressed: “Before the pandemic, we used to have about 200 customers per night. Now, it’s rare for us to serve more than 120 people in a night. That’s a big difference. But at the same time, we still have to keep paying the bills, and that’s only possible when you have a customer base that goes out to eat regularly.”

Matos and Turnbull, the restaurant’s owners, say they feel overwhelmed by the strong response they received on social media, so much so that it meant they could continue their operations, at least for now, as in less than 24 hours they managed to raise the necessary funds to cover their expenses.

“Thanks to the community’s response, we now have a lot more revenue. And thanks to the alarm we sounded, our community came to support us financially. This shows us how much they care and that they like what we do. This, in turn, shows us that small businesses contribute to our community, and that makes people want to keep coming and keep supporting us,” emphasized Mr. Matos.

Roberto Matos concluded by saying: “Elizabeth and I believe that one of the main missions of the independent restaurant industry is to be a place where we can all come together to socialize, being from different backgrounds and cultures, trying to offer the best quality food and good service. But one of the main outcomes of that is that we come together as a community and have a space to be together. I think that across the country, the number of independent restaurants closing is higher than the number of those opening. This needs to become a national conversation about what is happening.”

Coincidentally, COPA’s lifeline arrived just days before the start of Triangle Restaurant Week, a time when the community is encouraged to support locally owned dining options. “I know many places closed, and as we walked through Durham, we were a little saddened that some of our favorite spots had shut down,” said Ashley Crosby, while she and her husband, Matthew Ellis, strolled along Main Street. “So we definitely want to support local places and shop small, making sure our community stays open.”

Foreclosures available:

Durham: 15 homes available.

By Elias DaSilva | September 24, 2024.