With wooden boards covering up shattered windows, it was back to business Saturday for a small restaurant in El Cajon just one day after a car crash spilled into the eatery.
“[It brought] a lot of cops, the fire department. It was a mess,” said Waadell Hanna, the owner of City Bistro on 1248 E. Main St.
Just before 4 p.m. Friday, two drivers crashed at Shady Lane and Main Street, in front of Hanna’s business. The force of the impact sent one car into City Bistro, breaking through windows.
Hanna said the woman driving the car that hit his business was not hurt in the crash.
Fortunately, the bistro had closed at 2:30 p.m., so there were no customers inside.
“I’m lucky,” Hanna told NBC 7. “I’m very lucky.”
The small business owner rolled up his sleeves and worked through the night cleaning up debris from the crash and boarding up the windows.
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Hanna, who’s owned the restaurant for about a year-and-a-half said he knew he needed to be open for breakfast, as patrons were counting on him.
He said support from customers got him through the night and will carry his business as he moves forward.
“I really appreciate that [support] from all of our customers we have,” he added. “I got a lot of phone calls. I got a lot of support from them.”
City Bistro is open daily at 7 a.m. and specializes in American and Mediterranean food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.