A pickup truck tore through the front of a Concord restaurant last Saturday afternoon, scattering glass and debris across the dining area as a suspected drunk driver lost control of the vehicle. Seven or eight people were inside at the time, and remarkably, nobody was hurt.
The crash happened around 2:10 p.m. on October 24, according to dailymail.com, which reported that the white truck came blasting through the restaurant's front glass windows and front door without warning. Video of the moment of impact was credited to the restaurant via Storyful and circulated in a report from LiveNOW from FOX, which described diners as stunned as glass and debris flew through the dining room.
Exactly which business or businesses were struck remains murky. KRON4 reported the truck crashed through the front window of Chicken Time and Kabob Craze restaurants on Meadow Lane in Concord, while fox5atlanta.com identified the business as Chicken Thyme and said the truck came through its front door. The conflicting names have not been resolved.
Owner Describes Chaos Inside, No Injuries
Restaurant owner Fraidoon Jamshed told KRON4 just how close the call was for the people seated inside. “I had seven, eight people sitting there,” he said, adding that nobody got hurt in the crash — a detail that, given the damage, seems almost hard to believe.
The collision did serious structural damage, knocking down a 16-by-16-foot concrete pillar that helps support the roof, per the same dailymail.com account. That damage was severe enough that the city of Concord stepped in and closed the restaurant's indoor dining room while repairs got underway, with the outlet noting the fix could take months.
Takeout Still Running Despite Closure
Even with the dining room shuttered, the restaurant kept its kitchen going. “We're still open for takeout and DoorDash delivery,” the business said, according to the same report. It's a workaround that's kept the doors open for business even as the front of the building remains compromised.
As for the driver, fox5atlanta.com reported that he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Separately, dailymail.com reported that Concord police said the man displayed signs of intoxication and was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation. His identity, any charges filed, and the case status have not been made public.
Impaired driving remains a persistent danger on California roads. The California Office of Traffic Safety says alcohol-impaired driving is one of the leading causes of deadly and serious-injury crashes statewide, reporting 1,355 deaths in alcohol-involved crashes in 2023. The Concord crash, while not resulting in injury, is a reminder of how quickly an ordinary afternoon at a neighborhood restaurant can turn dangerous.
