Outdoor dining area at Salinas restaurant destroyed by vandal

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Norma Ramirez, co-owner of Culturas Hidalgo y Oaxaca Restaurant, said she was shocked when she got a notification from her restaurant's security camera system, Tuesday night. "We saw all of the fence on the ground. I thought, 'What just happened?,'" said Ramirez.

Security cameras captured a person kicking down the fence surrounding the restaurant's new outdoor dining area and running away moments after.

Ramirez said her husband made the fence himself.

"It's hard because these are things that we wouldn't have planned to spend money on," said Ramirez.

Ramirez found a way to repair it anyways. Her family pulled together what they had to buy new wood and rebuild what was broken.

The restaurant set up for outdoor dining in July. With indoor dining still prohibited in Monterey County, it was their only option to keep their doors open.

Ramirez said her staff won't stop serving great food, even if others try to knock them down. "We do it so our customers can enjoy their food. We're in a situation where we are supposed to be helping everyone," said Ramirez.