TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A local restaurant took a major hit after a garbage truck ran into the front of their building.
Karuna’s Thai Plate has been at the intersection of Grant and Campbell for the past 26 years. It’s a family business.
“I feel like I grew up in the restaurant, since I was a kid bussing tables after school and on the weekends,” said Patrice Farrell, the owner’s daughter.
Patrice’s mother, Karuna, is the owner. Karuna moved to the U.S. from Thailand as a teenager - and built the restaurant from the ground up.
“My mom is always there, it’s like an extension of her home,” Farrell said. “If we had birthday parties and we wanted our mom to be there, we had to take them to her and she would come out of the kitchen to sing happy birthday.”
For the first time in years, Karuna’s is closed. That’s because on Thursday - Patrice says a garbage truck made too sharp of a turn while exiting the parking lot. The truck hit the restaurant’s front awning, and wrecked most of the entrance.
“The windows were broken, one of the tables got knocked over, and there’s bricks and dust everywhere,” Farrell said.
The restaurant has to halt business as the front of the building is reconstructed. The family thinks it’ll be at least a month before they can reopen. The landlord says she’s working with the city to get it fixed as soon as possible.
“I think because we know that this community has shown up for us, I think we’ll get through this and we’ll be okay,” Farrell said.
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