A popular retro diner on Route 66 said it narrowly avoided going under and even closed for two days, all because of tax errors.
For almost a decade, Flo's Diner on 11th Street has offered hungry customers a tasty meal with a dash of nostalgia.
But the lunchtime arcade sessions with a side of fries almost became just a memory, owner Brandy "Flo" Adkins told 2 News.
"It's pretty scary. It's your livelihood," Adkins said. "It's just like you being told you don't have enough hours on your check, or you got sick, or you had to use that money for something else, and your landlord says, 'Look, we're not working with you. You pay this today or else.'"
There wasn't any problem with equipment or the food quality at Flo's Diner. It was the Oklahoma Tax Commission , Adkins said, that almost closed the restaurant for good.
"You have to put back so much per day on your sales tax, and you know, we robbed Peter to pay Paul," she said. "We had to use it for something else, you know, as far as business-wise. Electric bill, gas bill, payroll, all that. It just caught up to us."
Adkins said a rep from the tax commission ordered the diner to close early on July 15, but her accountant luckily arranged permission for it to reopen on July 17.
"I've seen a bunch of businesses that are struggling sharing our (Facebook) post, (commenting) like, 'Yes, we're all going through it.' It's just, I'm just a little open about it. I don't feel a need to hide the struggle from anybody," Adkins added.
Cory Ross was first in line when Flo's opened on the morning of July 17 and said businesses like Adkins' deserve local support even when getting in trouble.
"There's a lot of stuff that happens outside of serving customers and making people food that people don't know about, whether it's ABLE Commission or the tax commission," Ross said.
"Tulsans love local and we love feeling welcomed, feeling wanted, and feeling supported. So you're always going to feel that here."
The diner reopened to normal hours on July 17.
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