SOUTH LOOP — It was after 3 a.m. Saturday when Rick Cheng got the call from a neighbor telling him that a car had careened into his South Loop restaurant, destroying his restaurant’s front windows in the process.
Cheng rushed to Chicago Oyster House, 1933 S. Indiana Ave., where he was greeted by a fleet of police cars and a damaged GMC Yukon Denali in the dining room of his restaurant, where he’d been hosting patrons for decades.
“A tenant in a condo unit above the restaurant called — it’s never good to get a 3 a.m. call — and he said, ‘There’s a car in your dining room.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he’s like ‘Yeah, someone drove through it.’ I couldn’t believe until I saw it,” Cheng told Block Club Monday.
The driver of the SUV was attempting to make a left turn when he swerved into the storefront, police said. The driver was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle, a police spokesperson said.
Cheng said he later learned the driver was not the owner of the SUV and that neither he nor the car’s owner had insurance, as the vehicle had only been purchased a little over a week ago.
“The funny thing is, after looking at our own security camera, when he breached the window he was actually stopped. And then for some reason, he decided to throttle the gas pedal and went further into the dining area,” Cheng said.
The restaurateur said he’s looking at $75,000 to $100,000 in damages, which will be covered by his insurance.
Cheng has been serving up fresh seafood at Chicago Oyster House for 20 years. The restaurant’s New England-style lobster roll was among 16 featured in Eater Chicago’s “Best Lobster Roll” roundup in 2021.
Cheng said while business at the restaurant has been “slower than previous years,” he and his staff were preparing to ramp things up in time for convention season. Now, they’ll be spending the next several weeks focused on repairs.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, however. Cheng said he’s been touched by the support of neighbors and patrons who are ordering takeout to help the restaurant. As he and his staff rebuild, Cheng said he hopes others will do the same.
“The outreach has been great. We’re doing OK, we’re operating, but if people want to just come by and say hi, and whether you want to come by and dine or carry out, we will definitely take care of our community,” he said.
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