A family who operates a popular Vietnamese sandwich shop in Linda Vista destroyed in a fire said they felt moved by the outpouring of community support and plan to rebuild the business.
“They love this place. A lot of people ask when we’ll open back up,” said Man Tran, one of the owners of K Sandwiches. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
K Sandwiches at 7604 Linda Vista Road was a total loss after a cooking fire started in the oven just before 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Everyone inside made it out safely, but one of the owners suffered an unknown medical emergency after seeing what happened to his business.
On Wednesday morning, many regular patrons were pledging support to their beloved business, some even offering to help financially to reopen it.
One of the shop’s regulars, a customer named Michael, said he has friends who enjoy K Sandwiches so much that even though they’ve moved away, they make a point of visiting the sandwich shop when they are in town.
“It’s going to be a big loss because a lot of people come here regularly,” Michael said.
The shop, which has been in business for 10 years and specializes in Bahn Mi sandwiches, suffered about $1.5 million in damage.
One of the owners, Man Tran, said his family is still in shock and hadn’t made any specific plans to rebuild. Fortunately, the business is covered with insurance.
“We really don’t know what to do next,” he said. “It’s family work. To see it crash to ground, it’s hard.”
Another one of the family members, Nick, said he felt grateful no one was hurt and that it could have been a lot worse.
He pointed to the patriarch of the family, an elderly family member who has passed away, but was instrumental in launching K Sandwiches.
“He’s still watching over us,” he said. “We’ll be OK.”
