Ippudo says it is working hard to be open again ‘as soon as possible’

STAFF at a ramen restaurant in Essex Road have had their “world turned upside down” after a car smashed into the building.

Police attended the crash at Ippudo with the London Fire Brigade and paramedics on Friday at around 10pm.

Officers said that one woman in her 20s, a pedestrian, was taken to hospital with potentially “life-changing” injuries. Four other people were treated for minor injuries on the scene.

Mike Holmes, who is Ippudo’s facilities manager for London, said that the company was having the damage assessed by insurers, but that they were working hard to be open again “as soon as possible”.

He told the Tribune: “Our staff were closing the restaurant when the crash happened and were all safe, which is lucky, and we’re thankful, considering what happened.

“They looked a bit shaken up but they’re resilient and thankfully they are all fine. They were helping the injured people out of the front of the shop, and we’re proud of them for that. They were closing down the restaurant routinely at the end of the night, very calm, and then  their world was turned upside down.

The boarded-up building following the crash

“The damage was really severe at the front of the shop. And that has to be rebuilt before we can do anything inside.

“It also seems that this was a listed building, so that adds another layer of complexity.”

Mr Holmes added: “In terms of opening ASAP, that’s what we want to do.

“But it’s a bit of an unhappy reality. We can’t really plan anything just yet.”

Mr Holmes added that the staff have been working at other Ippudo restaurants around London whilst they await insurance assessments and work towards reopening.

Ippudo first opened up in the Essex Road site last June. It is a global chain which originated in Japan. The Met police said the driver of the car remained on the scene after the collision.

It confirmed there had been no arrests made.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101.