Three Peaks Deli & Grill on north Main Avenue in Durango will not reopen after the shutdown, with the deli’s owner saying he planned to close in March, unrelated to the coronavirus.

“It’s kind of a bummer,” said Chris Block, who has owned Three Peaks for nearly four years.

Block said Tuesday the popular breakfast and lunch spot had planned to close at the end of March. The deli tried to offer take-out and delivery after restaurants were shut down in mid-March to slow the spread of the virus, but it wasn’t enough to make up the loss in sales.

As a result, he had to close the store for good around March 24. Block estimated the restaurant saw as much as an 80% reduction in sales.

Block said he still owns the Three Peaks name, but any plans to reopen elsewhere are at this time uncertain.

“I want to cook for other people, that’s what I like to do,” he said.

Gov. Jared Polis ordered all Colorado restaurants and bars to shut down March 16 as part of an aggressive push to flatten the curve of the coronavirus outbreak.

Polis this week announced the state would slowly reopen some businesses, but it remains unclear which restaurants will open their doors. He has eyed a mid-May time frame, but no dates had been set as of Tuesday.

jromeo@durangoherald.comAn earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the closing of Three Peaks Deli to the coronavirus outbreak.