Chocolate Lab’s closure last month was a result of unpaid taxes, according to a notice hanging on its door as of this week. A tax seizure notice currently hangs on Chocolate Lab’s now-closed Hilltop space. (Photo by Lily O’Neill, The Denver Post) Owner Phil Simonson, who declined to comment, previously pointed to “employment issues and increased costs of operating,” according to his response to a customer’s Google review last month. But a notice on the restaurant doors reads: “This personal property is in possession of the Manager of Finance, Ex-Officio, Treasurer, City and County of Denver, State of Colorado, by virtue of distraint warrant issued for the collection of unpaid taxes.” A distraint warrant is a document served by the sheriff that indicates the amount of overdue taxes, the due date, and instructions regarding the removal or destruction of any property within the business.