Small-town grill reopens after being hit by a hurricane and a car

SHARON, S.C. — The grill is going again at a popular restaurant in a small South Carolina town after two big hits in two months.

The Sharon Grill is open on Tuesday after a car crashed into the wall over the weekend, and the owner told Channel 9′s Eli Brand he’s thankful to the community for helping them get back where they need to be.

David Ladish was working the grill early Tuesday morning in Sharon, doing what he loves to do. It’s a big change from what he saw at the restaurant over the weekend.

“I got a phone call, ‘Hey, someone ran into the grill,’ I could not believe it,” Ladish told Brand.

Surveillance footage captured the moments that a car ripped through one of the restaurant’s walls on Sunday.

“Came right here and bam, went right through there,” Ladish said while pointing at the leftover destruction.

There’s a lot of work to do, and some major stress about what could happen.

“Two months ago, when Hurricane Helene hit, we were closed for ... five days,” Ladish said. “Power was out, then this happened and I was like, ‘Oh my God, are we going to have to be closed again?’”

SPECIAL SECTION >> Hurricane Helene stories

That disaster was thankfully avoided. The car didn’t enter the dining room thanks to a concrete wall blocking it off.

Ladish says thanks to the community, they didn’t miss any regular time, either. One of his friends owns a roofing company, and they pushed the wall back into place before covering it with plywood and a tarp.

An estimate on more permanent repairs will be coming, but Ladish will be serving up eggs and biscuits for the community.

He remains upbeat through his kitchen and dining room, a place he’s just happy to keep open.

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