CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The abrupt closure of Chophouse Downtown and Mezcal Tequila Cocina has left some employees struggling to make ends meet without their final paychecks.

Owners Joseph and Ryan Avila-Burillo announced the closure of both Cedar Rapids restaurants earlier this month, citing economic constraints and local challenges.

One of the affected employees, Colette Clinton, reported her problems in an interview with Iowa’s News Now.

“I’m a single mother of three children. My oldest is five. She starts school this month, so I don’t have any money to buy school clothes,” she said. “I’m three weeks behind on my car payment, so it’s going to be repossessed soon, and then the lights are due on Wednesday. I don’t even know how I’m going to pay for that.”

Clinton said her situation was not unique, saying many of her colleagues had reported negative bank balances, unpaid bills and a desperate need for new employment opportunities.

“It was just a really tough time,” Clinton said. “I think we deserved something for it. We were very hardworking employees. We were very loyal. We loved this place like it was our own.”

In their now-deleted Facebook statement, the restaurant owners cited the abolition of parking meters, competition from restaurants offering free parking, rising food prices and an increase in homelessness as reasons for their financial difficulties.

Despite these claims, court documents reveal further complications for the owners.

Linn County court records show that GreenState Credit Union is suing Ryan Avila-Burillo for more than $600 in overdraft fees. His husband, Joseph Avila-Burillo, has previous convictions for burglary and fraud in Riverside County, California.

Attempts by Iowa’s News Now to reach the owners for comment were unsuccessful.

In response to their financial crisis, the staff at Chophouse Downtown and Mezcal Tequila Cocina have started a GoFundMe campaign. The link can be found here.