Sarkis Cafe located on Crawford Ave and Gross Point Rd, not too far from Regina, has been a North Shore favorite since even before my dad was in high school 30 years ago. The restaurant is known for its greasy and perfect cheesy hash, Loretta sandwiches, and low prices with big portions.

When I think of Sarkis, the best way to describe it is “rustic charm,” or maybe “dingy charm”… Nonetheless, it’s impossible to not love Sarkis.

Recently, Sarkis made headlines with an extremely unusual occurrence. Last week,  I drove past the restaurant and noticed that it was closed off with caution tape and the whole front patio was destroyed. Not long after, this video popped up in my Facebook newsfeed:

WEIRD, right!? I didn’t know if it was a prank, some adrenaline junkie who was upset that Sarkis doesn’t have a drive-thru section, or a true accident.

It turns out that the Sarkis car accident was far from intended.

On Thursday, April 21 at 6:15 PM, a woman from Chicago was heading Southbound on Crawford Avenue. When she turned left onto Gross Point Road, she made direct contact with a driver of a Honda car moving northbound on Gross Point. In response to the initial impact, the man driving the Honda lost consciousness and his foot the accelerator and made a beeline for the cafe’s patio.

The driver of the Honda, a 54 year old man from Buffalo Grove, regained consciousness right after crashing and luckily only had a few minor injuries. The driver of the other car did not suffer any  injuries either, but was issued a citation for an improper left turn and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Despite damages, on the evening of the accident, Sarkis posted a tweet to its loyal customers, “Despite a small bump in the road Sarkis will be open as usual tomorrow.