DALLAS — It could have been a story of catastrophe.
But, the Jones family sees a story of community.
Around 11 a.m. Monday, just before the lunch rush began, Dallas police say a stolen car crashed straight into Blackjack Pizza’s dining room.
Blackjack has been in business three and a half decades.
It sits in the 2500 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, just a few blocks west of Fair Park in Dallas.
Ron Jones, a longtime cook, was in the kitchen when the crash happened.
“All the sudden I heard a boom. A car drove in the building!” he said.
He immediately ran to one of their regular customers who’d been knocked down.
Seconds later, Dallas police ran in.
“Police drew the guns on them, and that’s when I disappeared,” he said.
The customer and the suspected driver of the stolen vehicle were hospitalized with what police said were minor injuries.
But Blackjack sustained major damage.
An online fundraising campaign has been set up to help the Jones family reopen Blackjack as quickly as possible.
Within just hours, the damage was being repaired by Blackjack’s loyal customers.
They tore down bricks that were precariously hanging from the walls.
They took out air conditioning ducts that were barely hanging on. They swept dust and glass.
By evening, they were shoring up and boarding up the front of the restaurant.
Owner Terry Jones, Ron’s brother, said he didn’t call anyone for help.
“They just showed up!” he said.
“They want us to reopen of course because they love our food,” he said with a laugh.
Blackjack is an institution. Some love the pizza. Others love the hamburgers. Most love the sweet iced tea.
Ron and Terry’s mother, Dorothy Jones, is a fixture at Blackjack.
The 82-year-old works most every day, but she was not there when the crash happened.
She hurried to the hospital to see the customer who’d been rushed there.
When she arrived back at her restaurant, more customers flocked in with hugs and help.
“It’s a blessing,” Dorothy said. “Everybody came to our rescue!”
Just one week before the crash, a man who helped found the restaurant in the 1990's but was no longer affiliated with it passed away.
The Jones family promises to rebuild and reopen.
Clearly, they won’t have to do it alone.
“All of my customers are my family. I tell them I love them,” she said.
“They all call you mom,” Terry told her.
“I’m everybody’s mom, and I love it,” she said.