The Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse in Riverton doesn't have a drive-through. That didn't prevent a vehicle from driving through the restaurant's front window, albeit accidentally, over the weekend.
A Chevy Impala smashed through the front of the restaurant on Saturday. Jerry Zhang, the owner of Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse, said the impact destroyed the front window and door.
"It's pretty hard to say how much it'll cost to repair everything," he told Cowboy State Daily. "I already know it'll cost more than $10,000, and it could be more than $40,000, easily."
Nevertheless, the unique Benihana-style steakhouse will remain open for the holiday season, and many people in the Riverton community have already stepped up to help however they can.
"I always tell my team that we should always give back to the community, and I'm so moved that the community has offered to help, especially during the holiday season," Zhang said.
A Genuine Accident
When a vehicle ends up inside a restaurant, many people assume it was caused by an impaired driver. Zhang said this incident was a genuine accident.
"It was a young driver who parked outside early in the morning, right after we opened," he said. "(The driver) tried to stop his car, but he pressed the wrong pedal and his car rushed inside my restaurant."
Neither the driver nor any of Ichiban’s employees were hurt. That's what matters to Zhang, who isn't harboring any ill will toward the driver.
"I think he tried to stop by and dine in our restaurant," he said. "There was no hurt and no harm."
Custom Job
Zhang is already working with a local contractor and his insurance company to work out the repairs. He hopes the front door will be functional again by the end of January.
"It's hard to order everything we need because of the holidays," he said. "It will probably take one to two months to fix the front door."
The "fancy" front window will be much harder and more expensive to replace.
Zhang said the window, which he installed last year, was custom-made in Hong Kong and shipped to Riverton for the restaurant.
"I'll have to order another from the same company and cover the international shipping," he said. "I know that with delivery and labor, that will cost me more than anything else."
Zhang didn't have a timeline for when he'll be able to have the new front window installed. That will be determined by when and how much the insurance company is willing to cover.
Meanwhile, the Ichiban is open for business. The front entrance has been sealed, all debris has been cleaned, and patrons can still enter through a smaller entrance on the left side of the building.
"First and foremost, we want to offer good food service for the community, especially for families, during the holiday season," Zhang said. "We also don't want to hurt our employees, so we didn't want to close for too long."
Holiday Spirit
As soon as Riverton residents and businesses heard what happened, they stepped up to help. Zhang said many people showed up immediately after the crash to help his team clean up and open up, which they did on Sunday.
That same day, Shandra Skaggs with Federal Auto Recycling sent a check to Ichiban to cover some of the repair costs.
"So sorry for the unfortunate accident," Skaggs wrote to Zhang. "Hope this will help with repairs."
"That was very nice of them," Zhang said. "That's why we love and support this community. They stay together with us."
Ichiban has had similar issues in the past, usually involving the large, red statue of a sumo wrestler standing along South Federal Boulevard. In July 2023, two people were charged with vandalism after toppling the statue in an act of public intoxication.
Zhang doesn't see that incident and the Saturday morning drive-thru as similar cuts of meat. Despite the setbacks, he's retained his optimism.
"Someone can knock over my sumo statue, but that's a different story," he said. "This time, it was just an accident."
The main message Zhang had in the aftermath of Saturday's incident is that the Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse is open for business. The facade has taken a hit, but the dining experience hasn't been affected.
"We've done a temporary fix, and we'll order everything we need to replace the front window and door," he said. "This has hurt my business, but we're lucky to have another entrance, and we are open."
Contact Andrew Rossi at andrew@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
