It was a popular place for coffee and conversation for 20 years, but when the Miracle Hills Cafe abruptly closed it left customers with questions and workers without paychecks.

Lamar Gafford and Jeff Simonson say the Miracle Hills Cafe near 114th and Dodge had good food because they cooked it. "It's pretty hot in that kitchen so I earned my money," says Gafford.

The cooks want to pick up the check, a paycheck for about $250 each earned before the cafe closed without notice. They've left numerous messages on the owner's voicemail. "We want to know when we can get paid," says Gafford.

The two cooks don't have to estimate how much they're owed in wages. They have their time cards to prove how much they should be paid. “I want to get my money that I'm owed,” says Simonson. “I’ve got bills I have to pay myself."

The cooks believe the cafe closed after being served a lien by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The state claims the Coffee Corporation listed as the owner owes more than $15,000 in back taxes.

"I never expect to come to work and have my job shut down and be unemployed especially in today's economy with the way gas prices are,” says Gafford. “It hurts, pretty much hurts pretty bad."

The landlord says a new cafe is on the menu for the now empty space and it's hoped loyal customers will return in September.

Calls to the owner of the Miracle Hills Café have not been returned. A longtime customer who provided a loan on the restaurant blames poor management. Though traffic is less congested in the area, he says the West Dodge Expressway made it more difficult for customers to get to the business.

The economy may be hurting, but is it affecting the number of tax liens?

The Nebraska Department of Revenue says there were actually fewer tax liens during the first six months of this year, 1,038, compared to 1,129 last year. Those dollar figures are also down, $5.4 million last year to $5.3 million this year.