Comstock Saloon Hopes to Reopen (In Part) on Thursday

A car crashing through the front window won't keep a good bar down, as Comstock Saloon is already taking stock and planning to reopen in the wake of yesterday's incident in which a driver plowed his BMW into the restaurant. Thankfully, only two people sustained injuries, neither of them life-threatening, and only half of Comstock (its side room, known as the Monkey Bar) will have to close, allowing the bustling main room to continue to operate as usual. The plan is to reopen the usable half of the restaurant on Thursday at 4 pm for dinner and drinks, with lunch to follow on Friday.

As for the Monkey Bar, Inside Scoop reports that it's looking like at least a month of renovations before it can come back to life, depending on the contractors' timeline. The double doors will have to be rebuilt, and the bar itself sustained some damage as well. It's a particularly rough break because owners Jeff Hollinger and Jonny Raglin just renovated the bar earlier this year. The identity of the driver, who was arrested not only for this incident but for an outstanding warrant for marijuana sales in Sacramento County, has not yet been released. Based on photographs, he appears to be an Asian man in his 40s or 50s.

One of the two people injured in the incident was Tyler Schweppe, a bartender at Providence, RI's Dorrance. Schweppe, who was visiting SF and had made Comstock the first stop in a planned three-day trip. He sustained a knee fracture and some lacerations. To help cover his medical costs, Raglin and a group of other bartenders are organizing a fundraiser tomorrow night at 15 Romolo; drop by after 9 pm and have a drink to help make up for his unlucky vacation.

· Comstock Saloon rebuilds, looks to reopen Thursday [Inside Scoop]
· BMW Crashes Into Comstock Saloon, Injuring Two [~ ESF ~]