Today, a driver repeatedly rammed a car into Tay Ho, the longtime Vietnamese restaurant on 12th Street in downtown Oakland, leaving the family-run spot badly damaged and its owners shaken, the family said. The restaurant, operated by a mother-and-daughter team that opened the business in 2010, reported that nothing appeared to be missing, even though the vehicle reportedly hit the building multiple times in what the family and a fundraiser described as an apparent attempt to burglarize the business.
Reported details
According to KRON4, witnesses and the restaurant's fundraiser said the car drove into the storefront three times, causing significant damage to both the dining room and the front facade. That same coverage noted that a GoFundMe linked to the family raised more than $8,500 within hours to help pay for repairs.
Tay Ho's website lists the restaurant's address as 344 12th Street and notes that the business was established in 2010, details the owners echoed while describing what they stand to lose as they face cleanup and rebuilding.
Neighborhood safety and context
The crash comes amid ongoing worries about safety on and around the 12th Street corridor, an area advocates have highlighted for traffic violence and other hazards. In February, Streetsblog San Francisco reported that Tay Ho staff had helped tend to a bicyclist hit nearby, underscoring how often people and small businesses on that stretch find themselves on the front lines of street danger.
Vehicle-assisted break-ins have also surfaced elsewhere in Oakland in recent years. In one July 2023 incident, burglars drove an SUV into a market in Fruitvale Village, as documented by KTVU, highlighting how cars are increasingly being used as blunt instruments against storefronts.
Community response
Neighbors and loyal customers responded quickly, with friends and regulars launching a fundraiser and collecting donations to help cover repairs and support staff while the restaurant regroups. The owners told reporters they were "shaken" but deeply grateful for the rapid outpouring of help. KRON4 reports the campaign raised more than $8,500 in its first five hours.
The family has urged residents to keep looking out for one another as they sort through next steps and plan repairs, and they said they will continue to update patrons through the restaurant’s usual channels.
