Vehicle crashes into Hob Nob restaurant

One Sarasota driver made the Hob Nob restaurant a different kind of drive in Tuesday morning.

Around 9:45 a.m., a white Dodge van collided with the exterior wall of the venerable Sarasota restaurant at 1701 N. Washington Blvd. Hob Nob co-owner Annette Gargett said the driver's brakes locked up on him as he was heading south on U.S. 301. He then swerved to miss a pedestrian in the restaurant's parking lot before crashing into the wall.

Police cited the driver for careless driving.

The driver wasn't injured, Gargett said. There were several customers in the restaurant at the time of the impact, but none were near the crash site. 

Gargett said the short barrier wall was built a few years ago for just the purpose after multiple drivers had crashed into the building over the restaurant's more than 60-year history. The latest crash did little to stop business as more than a dozen Hob Nob customers dined in the restaurant as of 11:30 a.m.