Colorado restaurant owners say the outage tied to Xcel Energy’s Public Safety Power Shutoff is forcing costly, last-minute decisions during what is typically one of their busiest weeks of the year.
Xcel now says the shutoff is expected to remain in effect through 10 p.m. Friday, with outages continuing into Sunday. Power is expected to return for the majority of customers by 10 p.m. on Saturday. Once conditions improve, crews will begin restoration during daylight hours after required safety inspections.
But for local restaurants in Golden, the timing could not be worse.
“This is actually my busiest week, historically,” said Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen and Abejas. “Between the holidays and (Colorado School of) Mines’ graduation, this was potentially a really good weekend. Instead, we’re losing revenue in our busiest week.”
Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen and Abejas in Golden, speaks to CBS News Colorado about the region-wide power outage that has his restaurant without electricity on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
CBS
After losing power Friday morning, restaurants coordinated efforts to keep food from spoiling. Bortles said multiple businesses ran generators while others shared cold storage space, including a refrigerated truck secured by Woody’s Pizza.
“They really banded together,” Bortles said. “We collectively moved food around to keep everything cold and keep it safe for guests.”
Despite those efforts, he estimates restaurants could still lose 20 to 30 percent of their inventory, even with generators and refrigeration in place.
“We worked our tails off Wednesday, and we did the same today,” he said. “But there’s still going to be loss.”
Outside Woody’s Pizza, a refrigerated truck hummed as staff rushed food inside.
“This truck is a Hail Mary,” said John Bortles, owner of Woody’s Pizza and Brandon’s brother. “We thought we were going to have power through the weekend. When it went out again early this morning, we started making phone calls.”
John Bortles, owner of Woody’s Pizza in Golden, talks about the collaborative effort between businesses in the city to help preserve food during a region-wide power outage.
CBS
Bortles said their food distributor delivered the truck on short notice, allowing Woody’s to store its own inventory while sharing space with neighboring restaurants.
“If food gets out of temperature long enough, it’s ruined and could get people sick,” he said. “We just want to keep the food out of the trash and keep people safe.”
The truck will need refueling every 48 hours and could operate for several days if outages continue.
Xcel Energy says it does not reimburse customers for spoiled food or compensate businesses for lost revenue, including during Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
“Xcel Energy does not reimburse customers for spoiled food caused by outages,” the company said. “Xcel Energy also does not compensate businesses for lost revenue during a power outage…including Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which we may carry out in periods of high wildfire risk to help keep the public and our communities safe.”
Brandon Bortles said many restaurant owners have also been told their insurance policies do not cover losses tied to PSPS outages.
“Our insurance has told us this does not fall under business interruption,” he said. “That’s devastating. This is economically devastating.”
Both owners said they understand wildfire concerns, but believe small businesses are bearing the brunt of the impact.
“I don’t want to diminish fire danger,” Brandon Bortles said. “Climate change is real. But this isn’t just a business stress, this is a community stress.”
John Bortles worries for employees who are now missing paychecks.
“We’ve got about 100 people on our staff that are out of work right now,” he said. “They’re trying to buy their kids presents. They’re losing shifts. There’s nobody coming to save them.”
As Golden waits for power to return, both owners urged residents to support local businesses when they reopen.
“Small businesses have been struggling for years,” Brandon Bortles said. “Stuff like this can be a killer. When we’re back open, come help us out.”
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