After car slams into AI Sushi and Grill, business still ‘functioning fully’
A week after a car came careening through the front of AI Sushi and Grill, the restaurants owners are carrying on.
The restaurant, located at 4655 Centennial Blvd., has been operated by the Lee family for nine years. Following the crash, Gyumin Lee, the owner’s son, said they had to shut down to clean up the damage and debris.
Damage was concentrated at the front of the store, including the door and window facing the parking lot. Lee said part of a wall and the hosts’ booth were also smashed, with shattered wood and glass flung into the building. Despite the damage, the Colorado Springs Fire Department determined the building to still be structurally sound after responding to the accident.
After just a day, the family was able to reopen their restaurant with no impacts to their operating hours. But Lee worries some customers, regular and new ones alike, are not fully aware they’re still open even as the business has a large plywood board covering the hole.
“We did notice significantly slower business since the crash, such as reservations we took before this happened cancelled a lot,” Lee said. “We are functioning fully during the same operating hours.”
The restaurant is open for lunch weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.
The accident happened right after the restaurant opened on Wednesday, Jan. 7, Lee said. Nobody was hurt, though following the crash some people on site were treated for shock, he added. Only three people were in the restaurant and no customers had yet arrived.
Believing the accident to be the result of a mistake, Lee said nobody wanted to “confront the driver.” The Colorado Springs Police Department did not immediately issues any citations, but last week said the investigation is ongoing.
“As a Christian family, we would like to thank God that no one was badly hurt. We will take this incident as an opportunity to rebuild and improve our business to provide a better experience for people,” Lee said.