MacAlpine’s Diner and Soda Fountain, located at 2303 N. 7th Street, hopes to finally reopen this year in Phoenix.
MacAlpine’s closed in March of 2020 at the beginning of COVID-19, along with all the other restaurants, as required. The owners reopened a few months later but couldn’t find enough people to work during that time and couldn’t keep it open with just a few employees. After three and a half years, Monica Heizenrader and her daughter are hoping to reopen in early 2024, this time launching a GoFundMe a few months ago to help save this Phoenix icon.
‘We have been closed for 3 1/2 years,” according to the GoFundMe. “During this time, our fixed expenses continued. Building payment, taxes, insurance, utilities, and now debt service from loans to keep us alive. My electric bill alone was $2,000 last month, and we weren’t even open. It is estimated to have been $5,000 for last month if we were open. Insurance has almost doubled in the past few years. Unluckily, small business doesn’t mean small overhead.”
To help get back on their feet, the owners have set the GoFundMe goal at $93,500, which is the estimated cost for the reopening. On top of having to pay monthly bills, the owners are also hoping to use the money to buy the necessary supplies, repair/replace some refrigeration, replace graffitied windows, repair other items, hire and pay staff for training, and replace some equipment, including an air conditioning unit. The campaign has raised just shy of $30,000 so far.
“For the past few years, concerned friends and customers have suggested a GoFundMe,” according to the campaign. “I resisted the idea because I thought I could figure this out. I felt like my life was shattered, so my response was to withdraw- not ask for help. I still offer gift certificates on our web page but have sold less than $1,000. We baked pies- helpful, but the volume wasn’t there. I used up my savings and took out loans, then my credit cards- but now I am tapped out. Without help from our community, MacAlpine’s will not be able to open again.
