Latest news with #Luigi's
CBS News
29-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado mountain towns like Breckenridge offer "mud season" deals at restaurants during offseason
As the snow (slowly) melts and the ski season of 2025 fades, a familiar period known as "mud season" settles into Colorado's high country. While this shoulder season brings a quieter pace to mountain towns, it also presents challenges for local businesses, particularly restaurants that rely heavily on tourist traffic like Breckenridge, a former mining town turned winter and summer destination. CBS To try and tide over some of those restaurants, many eateries are rolling out special mud season deals to entice locals and visitors and keep their operations running smoothly. Carlin Shotts, owner of Luigi's Pizzeria on Main Street in Breck, said he knows exactly what needs to be done once ski resorts start closing up in late spring. "I mean, you just start tightening the purse strings and thinking about how you're going to get through that slow time." The drop in tourism during the mud season can force restaurants to make difficult decisions, between closing for weeks or months on end, or even letting staff go, or adjusting the hours of operation. "The brutal reality of it is you can't always hold on to everybody and not everybody makes it up here," Shotts admits. Thanks to the Breckenridge Passport Dining Deals, the incentives provide a win-win situation: locals can enjoy great meals at a discount, while restaurants can maintain crucial business and keep their employees working, all while helping to support local students. "Trying to attract what little bit of business is in town, trying to keep your employees employed enough that they don't disappear and that they can make their ends meet ... it's just a delicate balance," Shotts explains. While the occasional tourist might wander in, it's the consistent support of the local community that truly sustains these businesses during the off-season. "I would love to see more locals in our business," Shotts emphasizes. "I mean, that's we're kept alive and afloat in the off season by locals coming in. I mean, we thrive with the tourists, but the locals, their support is what carries us through." Shotts said Luigi's is not immune to a closure itself, with a week or two closed on the horizon, usually around the same time that employees take off it everything clicks (it doesn't always.)
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The NYC $1 Pizza Slice Is Back. Why That Means More Than You Think
Many New Yorkers still believe there's nothing better than a hot dollar slice, folded and eaten ... More curbside—Seamless is reviving New York's most iconic food ritual for a limited time. New York's most iconic food ritual—the hot, foldable $1 cheese slice—is making a comeback. For a limited time, Seamless is bringing back the once-ubiquitous deal through a campaign that runs April 22 through May 20, giving city dwellers a shot at five cheese slices for a buck each per day at over 40 participating shops across the boroughs. It's a digital-only pickup promotion, but it's a physical kind of comfort: grab a slice from local spots like Luigi's, 2 Bros., or Rocco Pizza, and you're right back in that memory—eating curbside, slice folded, grease on the napkin. And that's the point. Once considered a daily staple and a symbol of the city's democratic deliciousness, the $1 slice had largely vanished by 2022. Pandemic-era rent hikes, inflation, and supply chain chaos forced most pizzerias to raise prices or shut down entirely. The 'dollar slice' didn't just go away—it became shorthand for everything we lost when costs rose, and the simple, small joys got edged out. Seamless, which started in New York, is playing directly into that nostalgia. 'The $1 slice is more than just pizza—it's part of the city's DNA,' said Grubhub CEO Howard Migdal in the announcement. The campaign isn't just about affordability—it's an emotional calibration. It's a reminder of what we miss and maybe what we still want to believe is possible. There's a cleverness to how it's packaged—digital access only, one redemption per day, five slices max—designed to nudge us into pickup routines while softly rebranding Seamless as the place to go back to basics. Here's how to score five $1 slices a day—no delivery, no gimmicks, just classic NYC comfort. From April 22 through May 20, Seamless is bringing back New York's legendary $1 cheese slice as part of a limited-time promotion across all five boroughs. With tomato prices set to rise and cheap eats disappearing, the return of the dollar slice hits ... More deeper than nostalgia. The return of the $1 slice isn't just a marketing stunt. It lands in a moment when food prices still feel unstable—where even the most basic ingredients are increasingly politicized and priced out. Since 2022, pizza slices have quietly become a barometer for broader economic strain in New York. What used to be a $1 staple is now closer to $3 or $4 in most neighborhoods, and that jump didn't happen because of better cheese or sourdough crust—it was inflation, rent, labor, and supply chain shocks, all stacked on top of each other. And this summer, the tension isn't letting up. On April 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its intent to withdraw from the 2019 Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico, meaning that starting July 14, most imported tomatoes will face a 20.91% duty. It's a move designed to protect U.S. growers from dumping, but the ripple effect is likely to be felt on every pizza slice, salad bar, and fast-casual bowl where tomatoes show up. So when a cheese slice goes back to $1—even temporarily—it hits a deeper nerve. It's not just about price; it's about predictability. A way to reestablish trust with consumers who've spent the last few years watching their grocery bills fluctuate, their cheap meals vanish, and their eating habits evolve out of necessity—not choice. In a time when even burger passes can be seen as an affordability tool and fast food rumors spark viral meltdowns, the $1 slice hits different. It's not just a product—it's a promise. The $1 slice promotion feels like something solid. Something remembered. And in this economy, that's more than a deal—it's a kind of relief. Because in a city where everything costs more, the return of something that once felt automatic—cheap, hot, enough—isn't just a deal. It's a moment of collective memory. And right now, that's worth at least a dollar.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Luigi's, a beloved Italian restaurant in Colorado Springs, closes after 67 years
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The owners of Luigi's, a beloved Italian staple in Colorado Springs, announced the restaurant's recent closure after 67 years in business. A note from the owners, which is listed on the website and titled 'With Gratitude and Farewell from Luigi's,' explained the reason for closing. 'We don't HAVE to close, we want to close,' the note read. 'There's no sinister reason, it's just a quality of life decision. Les and I [Gina] want to enjoy a 'normal' life before we get too old to do so.' The owners further explained that they look forward to spending more time with friends and family while also spending more time at home. Luigi's, located south of downtown at 947 South Tejon Street, 'is one of the oldest continuously family-owned and operated restaurants in Colorado Springs.' According to the website, Leo and Anne Cervetti opened Luigi's in 1958 in a small building on Mill Street and Nevada before moving into its current location on Tejon Street in 1966. 'We didn't publicize our closing, but instead, offered our last week to our loyal, longtime regulars,' the note continued. 'We did our best to notify all of them, and we're sorry if we missed anyone. It was not intentional. Our regulars knew that closing was something we've been working toward for the last few years.' When Luigi's first opened, they only had a few tables and menu items including spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza, according to its website, serving 'soldiers, young families and working-class folks in the neighborhood.' Fast-forward 67 years and the recipes are largely the same. We thank my parents, my sisters, and our extended family who worked to establish the business. We thank our loyal, longtime employees, past and present. We especially thank our customers for their continued support during good times and bad. We thank visitors to the Pikes Peak region who returned year after year. Luigi's owners According to the owners, they have sold the building but the business is still on the market. 'Hopefully, one day, Luigi's will rise again with new owners who will love it as much as our family has loved it. Until then, Grazi, and Arrivederci!' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
