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Gordo's Family Eats Reopens After Accident

Posted at 7:22 PM, Nov 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-18 20:33:51-05

In August, the original Gordo's American Eats Restaurant was forced to relocate after a truck crashed into its kitchen on a Sunday afternoon.

"I had to relocate my restaurant and our family in a matter of 30 days with practically no money left," said Manny Gutierrez. "So it was a drastic move, and it was one of the hardest things that my wife and i ever had to do."

Gutierrez, who runs Gordo's, said they received many offers to move their business to the city's south side, but their restaurant is the spot for those working at the refineries, so they decided to stay in the heart of the industrial area.

They moved just down the street, to Agnes Street and Old Brownsville Road, and their loyalty was rewarded.

"Actually a lot of the guys in this area work in that industry -- electrical, and in plumbing -- jumped into action and came to help us out," Gutierrez said. "Man, and we had a lot of these guys show up on their off time and do a lot of the work for us and didn't even ask us for a dime."

The previous Gordo's sat only 47 people, now over 140 people from all over Corpus Christi can enjoy their famous meals. They're known for their breakfast on a bun. They're even more well-known for their turkey-and-dressing special, for which they prepare 65 lbs. of turkey and 40 pounds of dressing once a week.

And in a weird twist of fate, it turns out the woman who accidentally drove into Gordo's kitchen was on her way to pick up food for her family.

Gutierrez says he invited her and her family to have turkey in their restaurant instead. He says that's just they way they are: They love their community.

"This is basically for our customers," Gutierrez said. "We did this for them, not for us. We don't want to let them down. They've never let us down, so we want to continue that relationship with them, the way they've always given to us."

The restaurant's officially re- open is in late November, but if you walk in before, they are more than happy to show you why they're so loved.

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