Regulars at Greg’s Bistro in Hampton, New Hampshire, Help Staff After Crash

Regular customers of Greg's Bistro in Hampton have put together a GoFundMe page to help the employees, who are temporarily without work after a pickup crashed through the front door Saturday night.

A pickup driven by Stephen Davis, 24, of Newburyport heading south veered across Lafayette Road and into the restaurant, injuring four people and displacing six residents of apartments above. The crash also temporarily closed the restaurant during one of its potentially busiest weeks of the year.

Terri Finn has been a regular at Greg's Bistro for 15 years, going back to the original owners, and compared it to the TV show Cheers.

"It's not just a restaurant to us. It's a place where we go almost daily to meet up with our friends, have a cocktail, talk about the week. It's a second home to a lot of us that live in the area more for the social reasons. I mean, obviously, we eat there, but we do trivia there, we do Christmas parties, we do birthdays," Finn told Seacoast Current.

Like a Family Member Being Hurt

Finn was at a play Saturday night with some friends from Greg's, and had her phone turned off. Her phone started blowing up with texts and alerts when she turned the phone back on.

"We all rushed right there. It's a family member being hurt. And we did have some people that we loved dearly hurt," Finn said.

With the restaurant closed while repairs are made, the regulars met with the owner to figure out ways to help the approximately ten employees who can't work at Greg's.

Finn created a GoFundMe page, and her group will solicit for donations while riding a car in the Hampton Christmas parade on December 3.

Several restaurants have offered shifts to some of the displaced workers and sent food to their homes, according to Finn. They've also offered to help with cleanup when the time comes.

"There's no better community that I've ever lived in in my life than Hampton. And I don't even live in Hampton. I live in Stratham. But I consider myself living in Hampton," Finn said.

On the Road to Recovery

Finn said the current owner of Greg's Bistro is worried about his staff's well-being and recovery. He is appreciative of the efforts of the regulars.

The residents of one of the two apartments above the restaurant have been allowed to return.

Meaghan Cote, her partner Scott, and stepson told WMUR that cracks in the bedroom walls and support beams are preventing them from returning home.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH