STOCKTON, Calif. — El Forastero Mexican Food has been brought back to life after being closed for more than a year due to a devastating fire set by an arsonist.
There's a bit of nostalgia making a much anticipated comeback on East Hammer Lane in Stockton.
"I said let's go get some burritos or tacos or some menudo,” said longtime customer Kenneth Michael.
The fire, set last year, destroyed nearly the entire building but didn’t stop the owners from rebuilding and eventually reopening.
"I am excited,” said Michael. “It's a blessing being here again, the grand re-opening. See what the lord did? Blessed this place to be back open again."
The Stockton Police Department says a man got into an argument with an employee over the price of a soda in August last year.
“We had a homeless guy that came in the drive-thru," said Sonia Dominguez, restaurant manager. “When he was to pay, he said he wanted to cancel it but he wanted a free cup of water."
The cost of a cup of water is 50 cents so the restaurant can cover the cost of the plastic cup, but the man didn’t want to pay, according to Dominguez. She says the man got angry about that and he “started a little fire on the corner of the restaurant and it just went in the building."
"It was devastating because this is a source of income for not just me, but my employees,” said Dominguez.
No one was hurt in the fire, but the building was ruined. Over a year later, the restaurant is not only back, but Dominguez says it’s better than ever.
The grand reopening of El Forastero Mexican Food was held Friday, leaving the business and all of its employees busy.
"It's been exciting because we put in new technology, we upgraded a lot of our stuff," said Dominguez. “It was nice to see a lot of customers who were excited that we were back."
The restaurant is open 24 hours, seven days a week and is located at 1718 east Hammer Lane in Stockton.
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