UPDATE
A driver suffered a medical episode before crashing into Sinbad's Hot Dogs, a longtime Sparks staple.
Sinbad's Hot Dogs is making progress in dealing with the wreckage after a truck crashed into the restaurant on Monday.
"So, I got here and of course, sick to my stomach," said Kristine Maioli, Owner, Sinbad's Hot Dogs. "When you go through something like this, it's very hard, and it's very hard to see the other side."
Maioli said she was at the longtime Sparks staple, just hours before the crash. Thankfully, like many businesses in the complex, we were closed on that day.
"That's the best blessing is that nobody was here, nobody was injured, and that we're all okay," she said. "Things can be fixed."
The owner said that the driver is okay as well.
Sinbad's has been in Sparks since 1979. Maioli bought it in 2006, and it's a place that has a strong hold on her heart.
"I was in total shock," she said with tears starting to swell. "I'm a workaholic. I've worked my whole life, since I was 15. I've owned this for 19 years, and to not have this happen, you don't know where to start."
Maioli said that after the initial cleaning on Monday, she took Tuesday off. Then on Wednesday, a lot of work was done at the place.
She credits her husband and many others for helping with the bulk of the work.
Right now, they don't have an exact timeline on when they will reopen for business. Maioli said that the status of a beam will ultimately dictate how long it will take.
Despite the initial shock and sadness, Maioli is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"I know the other side looks amazing because this community is fantastic," the owner said.
Maioli says the regulars are like family to her, and she's seen generations pass by.
"When they're (children) born, it's like the first thing they want to bring their kid to is Sinbad's," she said.
Inside the store, each regular customer has a name placard on the wall. There is also a special place for those who are no longer with us.
"Up in the top, there's our angels, and then we call it Hot Dog Boulevard in heaven, and their family still helps us out and comes to visit, and so it's just one big family," Maioli said.
While the owner looks to bring the hot dog hideaway back, hungry customers will have to be patient.
"I'm going to have withdrawals if I don't get a hot dog," said a regular customer after realizing the store was closed.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Owners of a decades-old hot dog store are looking for help from the community after a crash damaged their building.
A well-known Sparks hot dog spot was damaged by a car, and the community is coming together to support it.
A long-time Sparks favorite is leaning on decades of community support after a car crashed into the front of Sinbad’s Hot Dogs on Monday, leaving the small business temporarily closed just as the holiday season gets underway.
Sinbad’s has been part of Sparks since 1979. Originally owned by the Chaump family, it first opened in San Leandro, California, before moving to Nevada, where Kristine Maioli purchased the shop in 2006. Over the years, it has become known as one of the local places people go when a hot dog craving hits, offering a variety of ways to enjoy its all-beef hot dogs, including steamed buns for that classic snap with every bite.
The owner says families have returned for generations, sometimes across three or four generations, enjoying meals together at the longtime eatery.
Kristine, who has now owned the restaurant for nineteen years, was not inside when the crash happened, and no one was hurt, as the business is closed on Mondays.
