KENT, Wash. — Patrons sitting down for lunch at a Kent restaurant were served more than just food, Tuesday. A car crashing straight through the dining room of the Imperial Garden Beijing Duck Restaurant in the middle of lunch.
There was glass and debris littering the sidewalk. A group of shocked patrons and employees inside. The aftermath of a vehicle bulldozing its way through the dining room amidst service.
Luckily for everyone involved, the damage wasn’t worse, or deadly. All the result of an older woman accidentally hitting the gas pedal near the front entrance and smashing her way into the establishment.
Restaurant employee, Jackie Chen, says he was in the back. But he emerged once he heard the commotion.
“I thought it was a kitchen problem. Then, I went out and there’s a car right in front of the counter. Lots of people were running out because they were scared of the danger and stuff,” he confirmed.
The car made it all the way to the back bar. As for the driver, she was visibly upset.
“I heard she was outside shaking,” said Chen.
However, she was able to reverse the car out of the restaurant safely, before waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Despite the incident and the debris, patrons were still asking whether the restaurant was open for business as employees were cleaning up.
Chen doesn’t know when they’ll re-open for business, but says it’ll likely be another day or two before they welcome customers back. For now, there’s still plenty left to clean up and sort through.
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