She understands the kind of pressures that can lead a restaurant to shut its doors. Among the most difficult are the rising costs of supplies and ingredients.

“Las carnes están muy caras ahorita, demasiado cara la carne. Las carnes, el alcohol es demasiado caro también, antes no estaba tanto así”, ella dijo. “La verdad los los cambios los precios y los cambios que se ven en las compras son muy altas a lo a lo que es normal a lo que era antes”.

“Meat is very expensive right now, too expensive. Meat and alcohol are too expensive; it wasn’t that expensive before,” she said. “The truth is, the changes in prices and the changes we see in purchases are much higher than what was normal before.”

But what surprises her most is not the cost of ingredients — it’s the cost of labor. Running a team of nearly 20 employees, from servers and cooks to dishwashers and prep staff, comes with mounting payroll expenses that eat into monthly profits.

“Yo te puedo decir que para mí el mayor gasto tremendo que hay en mi negocio aparte de la comida, aparte del licor, aparte de la renta, aparte de los biles que incluye luz, incluye gas, incluye agua”, ella explica. “El mayor gasto que recibe mi negocio es el payroll. Es tremendamente sorprendente el payroll”.

“I can tell you that for me, the biggest expense in my business, aside from food, liquor, rent, and bills, which includes electricity, gas, and water,” she explained. “The biggest expense my business takes in is payroll. The payroll is tremendously surprising.”

To keep up with those rising costs, her restaurant had to make careful adjustments to menu prices, hoping to strike a balance between staying profitable and keeping customers coming through the door.

The Delaware Restaurant Association is aware of the industry’s challenges and has aimed to support local owners through training, policy advocacy and mentorship. Just recently, the association decided to go into different communities like the Latino community to see where it can better support its businesses.

“We’re learning what’s important to this community in opening restaurants and understanding that they need support,” Leishman said. “We’re also there to help support their growth and viability.”

Despite the difficulties, both share a common belief that local support makes the difference.

“Yo les diría que apoyemos que seamos solidarios y apoyemos a nuestra gente”, Lara Pulido dijo. “Porque si yo crezco, mi familia el día de mañana puede crecer … aunque sea solo de ir a comer una probadita de un postre o un appetizer también”.

“I think it’s important to support them,” she said. “Because if they’re not there, as we’re seeing with this recent closure … we’re going to miss them,” Lishman agreed.

GEORGETOWN — On Friday, October 10, Governor Matt Meyer ceremonially signed Senate Bills 142 and 143 into law, which increase safeguards against exploitation and support parental access to children’s digital accounts.

“In Delaware, we’re committed to doing everything we can to keep our children safe and families well-informed,” Governor Matt Meyer said. “These bills help bring our state up-to-speed with some of the risks that technology poses to our communities and kids, while equipping teachers, parents, and families with the knowledge and awareness they need to prevent abuse before it happens.”

Senate Bill 142 increases penalties for sexual extortion in Delaware when the victim is a child or vulnerable adult, or when the offense causes serious injury or death, raising it from a Class E to a Class B felony. It also requires Delaware schools to include education about sexual extortion in their curriculum.

Also known as “Gavin’s Law,” Senate Bill 142 is modeled after a law passed in South Carolina, sponsored there by State Representative Brandon Guffey. In 2022, Rep. Guffey’s son, Gavin, was a victim of sexual extortion and took his own life at just 17 years old.

Senate Bill 143 expedites court proceedings for parents or legal guardians seeking access to a deceased minor’s digital assets and accounts. It also makes technical updates to ensure consistency with legislative drafting standards.

Both bills were sponsored by Senator Brian Pettyjohn and Representative Kim Williams.

“These bills represent another important step in Delaware’s ongoing fight against sextortion and human trafficking,” Senate Republican Whip Brian Pettyjohn said. “We’ve worked closely with survivors, advocates, and experts to strengthen our laws, improve training, and ensure victims have access to the support they deserve. I’m especially honored that South Carolina State Representative Brandon Guffey could join us today. His advocacy through Gavin’s Law has inspired meaningful change across the country and reminds us all why this work matters.”

“No family should endure unnecessary delays in accessing a loved one’s digital accounts, and no child should face the horrors of sexual extortion without robust legal and educational protections,” Rep. Kim Williams said. “As we become more reliant on technology in everyday life, these laws will provide Delawareans with the tools to combat these growing issues in the years ahead.”

For any questions or to schedule a one-on-one interview with Governor Meyer, please email govcomm@delaware.gov.

Print

Delaware (3-2) at Jacksonville State (3-3), Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. EDT.

BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Delaware by 1.5. Against the spread: Delaware 2-3, Jacksonville State 2-4.

How to watch: ESPN

Key stats

Delaware Offense

Overall: 422.0 yards per game (45th in FBS)

Passing: 276.2 yards per game (28th)

Rushing: 145.8 yards per game (83rd)

Scoring: 29.6 points per game (58th)

Delaware Defense

Overall: 393.8 yards per game (100th in FBS)

Passing: 239.2 yards per game (96th)

Rushing: 154.6 yards per game (86th)

Scoring: 26.4 points per game (85th)

Jacksonville State Offense

Overall: 421.3 yards per game (48th in FBS)

Passing: 141.8 yards per game (130th)

Rushing: 279.5 yards per game (3rd)

Scoring: 29.5 points per game (59th)

Jacksonville State Defense

Overall: 377.0 yards per game (81st in FBS)

Passing: 211.5 yards per game (58th)

Rushing: 165.5 yards per game (104th)

Scoring: 26.8 points per game (87th)

Jacksonville State is 99th in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 42.5% of the time. Delaware ranks 15th on offense, converting on 51.4% of third downs.

Jacksonville State ranks 63rd in the FBS averaging 52.2 penalty yards per game, compared to Delaware’s 11th-ranked 34.2 per-game average.

Team leaders

Delaware

Passing: Nick Minicucci, 1,379 yards, 8 TDs, 3 INTs, 63.8 completion percentage

Rushing: Jo’Nathan Silver, 373 yards on 62 carries, 3 TDs

Receiving: Kyre Duplessis, 340 yards on 22 catches, 2 TDs

Jacksonville State

Passing: Gavin Wimsatt, 576 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 55.8 completion percentage

Rushing: Cam Cook, 832 yards on 142 carries, 7 TDs

Receiving: Brock Rechsteiner, 215 yards on 17 catches, 3 TDs

Last game

Delaware fell to Western Kentucky 27-24 on Friday, Oct. 3. Minicucci led Delaware with 314 yards on 28-of-47 passing (59.6%) for no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Silver had 47 rushing yards on 17 carries, adding five receptions for 55 yards. Jake Thaw recorded 55 yards on four catches.

Jacksonville State defeated Sam Houston 29-27 on Thursday, Oct. 9. Caden Creel passed for 129 yards on 13-of-17 attempts (76.5%) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 24 times for 132 yards and one rushing touchdown. Cook carried the ball 31 times for 218 yards and scored two touchdowns, adding two receptions for 15 yards. Pearson Baldwin had five receptions for 72 yards.

Next game

Delaware hosts Middle Tennessee on Oct. 22. Jacksonville State plays at Middle Tennessee on Oct. 29.