We’re back in business!
RESTAURANT BOSS THANKS COMMUNITY FOR HELP AFTER CAR ACCIDENT
A RESTAURANT owner in Melbourne has thanked the community for rallying around after a car crashed into the building, forcing it to close and running up a £20,000 bill.
Rex Howell and his wife Susan, who run the Bay Tree restaurant in Potter Street, thought they had “lost it all” after a Mazda crashed into one side of the restaurant’s facade on Monday, November 19, shortly after midday.
It is estimated the incident will cost the owners more than £20,000 in lost trade and repair work.
Witness Chloe Bircher, 27, said she saw a man get out of the car before the crash because he was feeling ill.
She said his wife got out to swap seats with him but the handbrake was left off and, instead of braking, the driver pressed the accelerator.
Mr Howell and his wife are now looking forward to reopening tomorrow at 10am.
He and Susan said they could not have done it without the help of people in Melbourne.
Mr Howell said: “The whole village has rallied around us.
“It’s been fantastic. They have taken all the glasses away and polished them all. The local builders have loaned me all the building materials. They helped us to load the skip with all the rubbish.
“And then yesterday we had three
Tree Rex Howell reopen his restaurant tomorrow just days after car crashed into its dining room,
local people come in to get rid of all the dust - they were here until 8pm.”
Mr Howell says a “corridor” has been created inside the restaurant to hide the damage caused and a poster will be put up outside to cover the boards where the window was broken.
He said his faith in people had been restored after so many locals came to his aid.
He said: “It’s surprising. We opened 30 years ago in 1988.
“It’s taken a long time to be accepted into the village! When we arrived it was like we were city folk taking over. But I think we have been accepted now. The reaction has been overwhelming.”
Mr Howell said when he first saw the damage caused to the restaurant last week he thought it would put him out of business.
He said: “I thought I was ruined for the year. I thought I had lost it all. Christmas is the making or breaking. It helps us to catch up on all of our bills.”
But, despite losing an estimated £10,000 to £15,000 since the crash, and £2,000 per week in the run-up to Christmas due to cancellations, Mr Howell said he is feeling positive.
He said: “We have made a bit of a corridor and we have painted it all. My designers are coming in to put wallpaper up and they are going to do something with the outside, like a large poster, so it looks like the restaurant.
“Hopefully everything will be done before Thursday. I haven’t let people down and that’s the main thing.”