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Jul 09, 2023

Car plows through tables and chairs at Hickory coffee shop

Security camera footage captured the moment a car plowed through the patio in front of Taste Full Beans coffee shop in downtown Hickory. Video courtesy of: Taste Full Beans Taste Full Beans employee

Security camera footage captured the moment a car plowed through the patio in front of Taste Full Beans coffee shop in downtown Hickory. Video courtesy of: Taste Full Beans

Taste Full Beans employee Beth Leicht arrived to work at the downtown coffee shop around 5:30 a.m. to find the patio in front of the shop in disarray.

Leicht said a car drove through the patio Thursday night around 11:30 p.m.

Taste Full Beans barista Beth Leicht points to damage to a light pole following a vehicle crash along Second Street NW. The crash also wrecked the patio in front of the shop, but the city of Hickory replaced all of the tables on Friday morning.

The tables and chairs on the patio belong to the city of Hickory, Leicht said, but the umbrellas belong to Taste Full Beans, and four of them were damaged.

“It was kind of amazing that all of the tables were broken and smashed, but none of our plants were touched,” Leicht said.

The few tables that the coffee shop owns were also not touched.

Workers with the city of Hickory came Friday morning to clean up the debris and set up new tables and chairs. The coffee shop opened at 7 a.m. Leicht said the patio was ready for business by 7:30 a.m.

“I was definitely impressed with how quickly the city came out, and I really didn’t have to do anything,” Leicht said.

Leicht also pointed out scratch marks on the light pole nearest to the patio and tire marks on the curb of the patio.

Taste Full Beans posted some photos of the damage on its Facebook account but assured customers that they would still be open.

A vehicle crash on Second Street NW left tables and chairs scattered along the sidewalk in front of Taste Full Beans coffee shop Friday morning.

“Folks, someone was racing downtown last night and plowed through our patio. Yes we are absolutely open and we are working to get things back in order,” the post says.

Hickory Police Department Media and Community Services Coordinator Kristen Hart said the report from the accident is still under review.

Taste Full Beans is at 29 Second St. NW.

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Security camera footage captured the moment a car plowed through the patio in front of Taste Full Beans coffee shop in downtown Hickory. Video…

Taste Full Beans employee Beth Leicht talks about markings left from the incident Thursday night that left the coffee shop's patio in disarray…