Staple menudo spot in north east El Paso hoping to reopen ‘as soon as possible’ after a car crashes into side of building

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Leslie Brogdon brought her boyfriend to her favorite menudo spot that is like a second home to her and her family. But when they opened the door, they were shocked to find overturned chairs, bricks, and other debris scattered throughout the restaurant - the aftermath of a car barreling through the side of Tejas Cafe Saturday night.

"Seeing this honestly devastates my heart, and I really, really hope they are able to open up soon," said Brogdon.

Owner Jesus Vecerra told ABC-7 he was home when his security alarm for the restaurant went off. He checked the cameras, but didn't see anything unusual. Five minutes later, police called to tell him a car had driven into his restaurant.

"There was this older gentleman outside of his car, a little bit shaken. Someone had hit him, he lost control and crashed into my restaurant," said Vecerra, "By luck nobody was here because it was closed. What more could you wish for? That nobody got injured."

Less than a day after the accident, employees were back in the restaurant, cleaning and trying to get the business back on its feet.

Vecerra said permits for the city are behind, so it could take a while for them to open back up. However, they're hoping it make some repairs as soon as possible to start serving again.

"Come tomorrow, we're going to ask some questions to see how we could fix the situation. But I want to say thank you to all my customers for their help, for their supper over these years, and times like these are when I need it most," said Vecerra.