Bayside restaurant opens with a crash

Some people take things in stride. Kostas Kantlis, owner of the new Plum New York restaurant in Bayside is a shining example of that. On the restaurant's opening night, September 6, a car crashed through the front of the building.
Mr. Kantlis' response?
&#8220We invited him and his wife back for dinner - on-the-house - simply because the last time he came we were closed.”
The accident happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. as the car, whose driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel, crashed right through the front doors. No one was hurt in the closed restaurant and the driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released shortly thereafter.
&#8220My first reaction was to make sure the driver was OK, that was the main concern,” Kantlis said.
Kantlis spent the next three days at the restaurant, which was under construction for six months, to help clean up the debris.
&#8220I was here for three days straight,” Kantlis said. &#8220I only went home to shower, change, and come back. That's the sacrifice you have to make when you own a business.”
Determined to not let a freak accident deter his plans, Kantlis opened the restaurant the next day without a storefront, saying that it was barely even noticeable.
&#8220It was my opening night, and being a business owner I waited so long for this place to open that there was no way my restaurant was going to stay closed,” he said.
Kantlis, whose family also owns the Fame Diner in Maspeth, was very grateful to the community for their support. All of the neighbors, according to Kantlis, were eager to help and made sure that everyone was okay.
Kantlis is currently paying the expenses out of pocket, and does not know if insurance will even reimburse him for the costs. However, he says that it is all in the territory of owning a business and he must strive to go on.
&#8220We need to keep our head high and provide the best we can for the community.”