Charleston sandwich shop, The Pass, to serve customers days after Maserati crashed into building

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A downtown Charleston cafe is set to reopen, somewhat, on Saturday just days after the driver of a Maserati crashed into the front of the business.

The incident happened early Tuesday morning when two vehicles collided at the intersection of St. Philip and Spring Streets. Police said the impact caused the Maserati to crash into The Pass, an Italian sandwich shop, leaving the front of the business in shambles.

But owner Anthony Marini has remained determined to quickly reopen his shop. With the dining room temporarily closed, Marini and his staff will serve customers through a window near the crash site when they open on Saturday morning.

“My personal comfort takes second place to getting my staff back to work and getting our loyal customers fed and taken care of,” said Marini about his plan to reopen.

The Pass will be open for regular business hours on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., unless they sell out.

Marini said messages and well wishes have poured into his restaurant since the Tuesday morning crash, many expressing shock over the destruction and encouragement for recovery. Additionally, some have left handwritten notes of support outside the business.

Police said a preliminary report revealed the Maserati was traveling west on Spring Street when the driver disregarded a stop light and ran into a Jeep that was traveling south on St. Philip Street around 2:00 a.m. The Jeep overturned, and the Maserati collided with the storefront.

“It could’ve happened at 2 pm. Thank God it happened late at night, no one was hurt, no one had serious injuries,” Marini said in an interview with News 2.

Following an inspection, the city deemed the building that housed the shop safe to occupy, essentially giving Marini the go-ahead to begin serving customers.

A timeline for reopening the dining room and repairing damage to the front of the building has not been determined.