DALLAS — The bar at Kanpai Coffee and Beer Garden may be full service, but there's no one inside to raise a glass.
Owner and chef Michael Carranza opened two weeks ago. Two days later, he said, cones, caution tape and closures appeared on the road outside his Deep Ellum establishment -- and customers disappeared.
"I hate seeing this space empty like this," he said. "We're open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and yesterday we had six transactions."
Carranza said customers can't find parking -- nor a path through the construction to his place.
Other businesses are complaining as well.
On Facebook, neighborhood staple Cane Rosso called Commerce Street a "total disaster area right now" and said it has led some to believe the 13-year-old neighborhood staple isn't open.
"There’s hardly anybody in here for lunch anymore," said Cane Rosso Director of Catering and Events Hollie Contreras. "It's very disheartening."
Contreras said business has dropped in half -- or more -- since the construction began.
"I know the city always needs improvements, but we can't be shutting down all of these businesses. It's really impacting the economy," she said.
A city spokesperson said the Commerce Street reconstruction project is on time -- but not scheduled to be completed until Fall 2026.
The spokesperson said the city and its contractor are coordinating with the Deep Ellum Foundation and other stakeholders to minimize the effects of the construction.
"Right now, if you're a business coming to be in Deep Ellum, I would put caution to the wind. Because it's a little scary right now," Contreras said.
Carranza said he can feel the fear looking across his empty bar. He said he's had to defer hiring additional employees -- his family members are pitching in to pick up shifts.
"I'm dusting chairs because people haven't sat in them," he said. "It's not fun."