SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — South Tallahassee restaurant The Lunchbox is reopening Thursday just days after a car crashed into the building. Owner David Raney says the community support has been vital for the staff.
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South Tallahassee restaurant The Lunchbox reopens this week after a car crashed into the building
In just three days, the Lunchbox has made a remarkable comeback. A car hit their building during business hours Monday afternoon.
The driver told ABC 27 he was coming down Tennessee Street when his brakes suddenly stopped working. He said everything started happening fast as he tried to avoid hitting cars in front of him. As he continued down the road, he lost sight of what was in front of him, and that’s when the vehicle slammed into the restaurant.
Three people were involved in the crash, including the driver’s wife and niece, who were taken to the hospital.
“By the grace of God, nobody was hurt, minor injuries, which is a blessing and which could’ve been a lot worse. And it’s only, you know, monster damage, so we can replace that, so that’s good,” David Raney said.
Just hours after the wreck, employees, family, and friends helped clean up and rebuild what they could. I asked the owner how the restaurant is moving forward and what neighbors can expect.
Raney said the community support made him want to reopen as fast as possible.
“So it was top priority to get this place open, you know, not only for our customers and the tons of regulars we have in the community but also to support our employees. You know, they’ve been out of work a couple days and too many days off, they’ve got bills and children to feed. We want to make sure they get paid and get back to work as soon as possible. And we didn’t want to be down anymore than we had to be,” Raney said.
Raney says The Lunchbox has also organized a fundraiser to help both the employees and the restaurant rebuild.
“We did start a GoFundMe, you know, we’re not really sure what it’s going to take to put this building back together. We want to make sure our staff is taken care of being out of work. Any amount of time is tough for them. And anything we can do to support them in and help them out with their finances that would be awesome,” Raney said.
The restaurant has been open for 27 years, and Raney expressed his gratitude for the neighborhood’s backing.
“I just want to thank everybody, you know. This community is a small tight community, and they’re going to come out and they’re going to support us. And we appreciate the support of the last 27 years, and we want to keep that support going, so we thank you,” Raney said.
Raney said they are looking forward to welcoming customers back to The Lunchbox on Thursday, March 19, for normal business hours.
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