Car Crashes Into Robbins Restaurant, No One Injured

Plywood covers the area of the restaurant struck by a car.

As of Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The joke around Robbins last week was the town’s “new drive-in restaurant.”

Carolina Fried Chicken on Middleton Street had a surprise visitor Thursday night when a woman who’d just left with a cheeseburger returned unexpectedly. Her bright red pickup came crashing through the front wall.

“She’d stopped for another vehicle coming into the parking lot,” owner Pete Kakouras said. “Then she thought she was shifting into reverse, but got drive by mistake. When she hit the gas, in she came.”

The truck demolished the front window and the brick wall beneath it before coming to a stop halfway into the restaurant. It narrowly missed a steel support pillar and doorway, passing between the two.

Waiters and patrons alike jumped at the noisy crash, then swarmed about the truck to check on the driver.

“She said she wasn’t hurt,” said Myra Lopez, a North Moore senior who has worked there about a year. “She just sat there in the truck. She was eating her cheeseburger.”

People were scared, she said. They didn’t know what was going on.

“Everybody’s been kidding us about it,” Lopez said. “Nobody was hurt or anything. I was working on some cheese fries when I heard it. It was scary, but it was all right.”

No charges were filed. Kakouras said things were being handled in the old Robbins way. Employees nailed plywood sheets to cover the hole in the wall, and Carolina Fried Chicken never had to close.

A team of neighbors showed up Saturday afternoon to begin repairs. One was a bricklayer. By Sunday afternoon, the brick wall was back, and the door frame was straightened. All that remained to indicate any damage had ever occurred was a single crack in a plant pot — and plywood covering windows waiting for new glass.

“It’s a two-way street,” Kakouras said. “We have been there 17 years, and the people have been great. We take care of them, and they take care of us. We didn’t worry about calling insurance companies, not in Robbins. Her son works with the fire department. He said he’d take care of it, so I knew he would.”

That volunteer spirit is at the heart of Robbins, according to this Greek who settled there and opened his family restaurant. Now he has a new one — Pete’s in Carthage. One son works there, and another at the old original Robbins place.

“Robbins people can do whatever they want to do,” he said. “They could fix up that old theater — just get volunteers, and they’ll show up and go to work.”

Contact John Chappell at jfchappell@gmail.com.

More like this story

luckygrammy 1 year, 7 months ago

Way to go! 6 days and 2 issues later we get to hear about it.

HolleysLives 1 year, 7 months ago

I love this story. In "other" locations an incident such as this would be tied up in litigation for months. In Robbins, it happened, it was fixed, and everyone moved on. A good lesson.

Courseaire 1 year, 7 months ago

I'll bet if the instituted back in parking like the did in SoPines, that this could have been avoided.

clbvpm 1 year, 7 months ago

If this had happened in Southern Pines, it would have been tied up in litigation for months like the comment above suggests.

JohnChappell 1 year, 7 months ago

Nobody apparently paid much attention at the time, so I only heard about it after deadline the next day from Pete. I'd have loved to get this story in for Sunday. This happened at around 8 p.m. Thursday night – way too late for Friday morning’s edition of The Pilot.

Maybe I should have asked the lady pickup driver to hit town earlier, you think?

Just funning, folks. Only reason to add this comment is so you all know we mostly have to finish writing and send stories in by 11 Tuesday and Thursday mornings to make our midweek or Friday papers — or by noon Friday to make the Sunday edition. Anything you hear about in the Carthage/Robbins/Westmoore area – anything north of the infamous traffic circle – e-mail me right away or phone so I can check it out, write it up, and get a story in.

Same for when I make a mistake. I made one, once. Long time ago, but there you go. Let me know.

RD28327 1 year, 7 months ago

Why do folks around Robbins try to create "drive throughs" at their favorite eating establishments? Bad service? Slow service? This isn't the first time someone tried to make a drive through at a Robbins area eatery.

Arestorer 1 year, 7 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

fugitiveguy 1 year, 7 months ago

I hate to be complaining, I think I prefer the blurred Bachman to this picture. Just sayin

Sam 1 year, 7 months ago

Kindness is a rare comodity in todays society. There is a great sense of kindness and community togetherness in the Robbins area. It's great to see people helping people. We all carry a kindness kit with us. The tongue is the main tool. So remember to be kind to all people. Mr. Chappell you do a great job in covering news worthy events in the Nothwestern sector of the county. Thank You and keep up the good work.

Flabbergasted 1 year, 7 months ago

So she just sat in her truck after crashing through the building, eating her cheeseburger? I'm glad no one was hurt, but that is crazy. I think someone heard her yell "Gimme sum Catch-Up, and also some Pork Rinds." I hope it was a d@mn good cheeseburger! Interesting that her name was not published. It is nice to see the people rallied together without missing a beat to get the business up and running.