North Cook News

It's been 18 months since Mauro Vidales and his wife Cynthia purchased Cafe Fourteen in Palatine, a venture they started prior to the pandemic, requiring them to overcome the unexpected challenges that came with operating a business during a global health crisis. 

"It wasn't easy," Vidales admitted.  

More than a year later, their business has grown, thanks to help from the community. But Vidales says they still need as much support as they can get.

"That's how we survived," Vidales told North Cook News. "The people got involved and they helped us out and we stayed. The workers, we let them go and we told them if you need food or whatever, we have some over here so come and eat." 

Vidales and his wife bought the business on January 14, 2020. During the pandemic he was cooking the meals and she was taking the orders. 

Although the restaurant remained open for takeout, money wasn't flowing in and for about eight months. The Vidales didn't take any pay for themselves because it was all going into the business.

"We didn't get much help from the government because we didn't have much record from the year before," Vidales said. 

He said restrictions that Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration put into place in an effort to slow the spread of the virus made working tough, including wearing a mask while working in a hot kitchen.

"When you're in a survival mode like that, you had to do whatever it takes to stay afloat," Vidales said. 

According to Patch, Cafe Fourteen has been a family-owned restaurant for 30 years. 

Bloomberg Business reported that the pandemic forced numerous cafes and restaurants to shut down because they couldn't cope with the effects of COVID regulations on their businesses. Over 11,000 restaurants have closed since the start of COVID-19.