ISSAQUAH, Wash. — More than a week after the bomb cyclone tore through Issaquah, local businesses are reopening after days-long closures.
“It makes me feel so happy,” said Glen Quadros, Owner of The Great American Diner and Bar.
The diner was forced to close for five days after the storm, due to damage and lost power.
“The ceiling, the roof was ripped off,” he said. “We had twisted metal and lots of debris.”
Because the diner lost power, food being stored at the restaurant spoiled and went to waste.
Quadros said it’s hard to quantify how much money was lost, but it’s likely thousands of dollars in total.
“It was tough,” he said.
You’ll find similar stories up and down Front Street.
“The restaurant closed for five days,” said Jashem Sandhu, a server at Maharaja Cuisine of India.
Now that doors have reopened, life feels a little more like it used to.
“We are very happy to see our customers,” Sandhu said.
Quadros said customers have been driving in from across the region, each sharing unique experiences from the storm.
“All of them have different stories,” he said. “How the tree fell on their house, somebody’s tree fell on their garage.”
Both restaurants were open for Thanksgiving, welcoming crowds on a day focused on coming together.
“This is kind of a tradition. We do all the holidays. A lot of lonely people who have nowhere else to go. They come to our place,” Quadros said. “It’s beautiful.”