After car crash, Piccolo faces second month of closure

The owner of Piccolo is fundraising to help pay employees as the Nixa restaurant faces a second month of closure brought about by a car crash in late June.

Steve D'Arpino said the restaurant at 107 W. Aldersgate Drive, Stes. 1-2, sustained heavy damage when a car ran into the eatery the night of June 29. He said repairs are starting this week, and along with the replacement of equipment damaged in the incident, he expects Piccolo to remain closed through August.

"It's probably been one of the worst times of my life," D'Arpino said this morning. "Honestly, it's been harder and more stressful than even eight years ago whenever I signed the lease and started the restaurant from ground zero. This has been more difficult dealing with insurance and unemployment offices."

D'Arpino declined to estimate damages to the restaurant from the crash, but noted insurance from his landlord and the individual driving the vehicle is paying for most of the repairs.

However, D'Arpino said Piccolo's more than 40 employees at the time of the crash have been left without a source of income.

D'Arpino has set up a GoFundMe, titled Donate to Aid Piccolo Staff in Time of Need, to help pay employees while the restaurant is closed. The GoFundMe campaign, which was created July 19, had raised $13,345 of its $18,000 goal as of 10 a.m. 

"This has not only impacted our business but left our loyal and hardworking staff without jobs during this time," D’Arpino wrote in a post on the company Facebook page yesterday. "Unfortunately, we haven't raised as much yet to really help and the need is still very real." 

In a June 29 Facebook post, Nixa Police Department officials wrote, "One person has been transported to the hospital after a vehicle crashed into Piccolo around 8:30 p.m. We are continuing to investigate." A crash report was not provided by deadline in response to a request from Springfield Business Journal. 

Past SBJ reporting indicates D’Arpino opened Piccolo in December 2016. The Italian restaurant's menu includes items such as chicken parmesan, cheese tortellini, fried lasagna rolls, steak and pizza.