Community Support Saves Del Pueblo Café from Closure

Goleta’s family-run Del Pueblo Café has been saved from closure after raising more than $25,000 in a week, thanks to an outpouring of community support, the owners announced on October 13.

“Just a week ago, we were hit with a wave of grief, uncertain about our future. We always try to give back to the community without expecting anything in return, yet this time, the community has rallied around us, and we feel incredibly blessed,” the café’s owners wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Del Pueblo Cafe (@delpueblocafe)

Owners Giselle Cuevas and Victor Camargo thanked the community for stepping in during their time of need.

While the fundraiser has given them much-needed financial breathing room, the couple emphasized that their financial struggles were not over yet. Over the next three years, the remainder of their lease, they will need to “work diligently to make ends meet,” they noted. 

Cuevas and Camargo asked for the community’s ongoing support to ensure they do not face such a situation again.

“We hope to see you all this week, and every week for the next three years,” they wrote.

The couple also shared images from the past two years: family gatherings at the restaurant, behind-the-scenes moments in the kitchen, and snapshots of customers and staff.

Owners Struggling to Keep Restaurant Open

Earlier this month, the couple said in an Instagram post that they had been struggling to keep up with bills dating back to January. Seeking financial assistance from the Santa Barbara community, they had started a GoFundMe page to help keep their business open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Del Pueblo Cafe (@delpueblocafe)

The couple said the rent was nearing $9,000 a month, which was impacting their finances as a small business. They had been asked to pay more than $32,000 in past-due bills by October 10, 2025, or they would have to close their business, they wrote on their fundraising page.

In an effort to cut costs, the couple said they had been prioritizing the restaurant. The two added that they hadn’t been taking home any income since they took over the business.

Del Pueblo Café changed ownership in November 2023, when Cuevas and Camargo took over leadership from Cuevas’s uncle. The restaurant opened in 1997 under the leadership of Cuevas’s grandparents, Alejandro and Esperanza Arreola.