Car Slams Into Washington Park Restaurant Two Weeks Before It Was Set To Open: 'This Is Not Going To Stop Us'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A speeding car slammed into a Washington Park restaurant, and the damage is bad.
What's worse? The restaurant was just two weeks away from opening. The owners tell CBS 2's Marissa Parra they are not giving up despite the enormous setback.
What's even more remarkable is the owners' resolve.
"I mean, this is my worst nightmare," said Maryann Marsh, co-owner of the Park Supper Club. Added her partner "we thought it was a joke. We thought it was a joke."
Instead of putting up the final touches on their new space, they're picking up the pieces.
"We're two weeks from opening, two weeks from completion," Marsh said. "As you can see, there's a car in my beautiful dining area."
That same car seen on camera Friday morning, speeding down Garfield Boulevard, weaving between cars and then barreling over everything in its path. It hops over the curb before slamming into, what will soon be, the new Park Supper Club.
They hoped that in two weeks it would bring a new vibe to Chicago's Washington Park.
"It's reminiscent of the old Harlem Cotton Club," Marsh said. "There's going to be a pianist in the corner."
And though it's not what Maryann Marsh had in mind as her vision, the thousands of dollars in damages could have been worse.
"We have workers here daily," Marsh said. "So we're here this morning sad over the loss of time, but we don't have a loss of life."
Marsh said delay or not, the show will go on.
"Maybe not in a couple of weeks like we'd hoped, but within the month," Marsh said.
Even in the face of her worst nightmare, the smile never left her face.
"As a Black woman, yes, I have my own struggles," Marsh said. "But I'm not going to diminish the struggles of all business owners, small business owners, all cultures, everywhere. We're all going through the same struggle."
She added "I don't look at those things as a reason to stay down. I look at those as a reason to keep fighting. And this is not going to stop us."
CPD said there were two individuals in the car that went into the restaurant. Two citations were given but police do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.
