By: Baylan Wysuph, Xavier Michnewicz
At approximately 3 a.m. on the icy morning of Jan. 5, Antonio Ferrara and a handful of other managers got an emergency phone call to come to work. An apartment complex directly above Half Fast Subs on University Hill had caught fire.
Around 5 a.m. as Boulder Fire-Rescue put the final embers out, Ferrara walked in to see their beloved restaurant harmfully flooded and turned upside down.
“It was basically raining from the ceiling,” Ferrara said. “It was a disaster. They shut down everything immediately.”
Half Fast Subs, a University Hill staple, had been shut down for the first time since opening in 1996. The Boulder community was unsure if it would ever reopen. Since COVID-19 a wave of business closures has hit the hill, including Chicken on the Hill in 2024 and Cosmo’s Pizza in 2021.
The owners, Fred and Melissa Liskowski, were unsure too. It wasn’t until late in the summer that the two were let back into the building. They were forced to only keep a small handful of employees onto the payroll in case they could return to business. On Monday, Fred Liskowski had to play bouncer with a line out the door.
“It feels great man, I’m happy everyone (came) out,” Fred said about the business reopening Monday after months of uncertainty. “This is much more than I was expecting.”
‘Tony’ Ferrara has been a manager at Half Fast since 2020, and is returning with the team for the grand reopening on Monday, Sep. 8. During his four years, he has witnessed what the sub shop means to the area.
“We ended up laying off 99% of our employees,” Ferrara said. “They kept us on the payroll to keep us motivated, and we really appreciate that he (Fred) let us do our own things.”
On opening night, pitchers of Strongo — the shops signature Long Island iced tea — and its namesake subs kept the owner and employees busy. Although it was work, employees felt back at home. James McKenzie was a part of the 1% that the Liskowskis kept on, working Thursdays and Saturdays last fall.
“I missed this job … I’m so glad to be back,” McKenzie said, “You can ask any of us, we’re all on cloud nine, all of us are glad to be back. Especially the owner, he’s stoked.”
To celebrate the relaunch, Half Fast is hosting a concert with four local DJs on Saturday, Sept. 11. The music starts at 8 p.m., featuring sets from RNGR, Eso, Deet and Ondy. No tickets are required.
“It was a long journey,” Fred Liskowski said. “But it gave us excitement to come back and do everything better.”
