LYNNFIELD — It’s been over a month since a 19-year-old drunk driver crashed into School Street Foods, but after a temporary closure, the beloved restaurant will return to Lynnfield.

Co-owner and chef Javier Baez has just announced that they will be reopening their Lynnfield location, most likely in the fall. After launching in 2024, School Street Foods has become renowned for their fusion of Latin, Caribbean, and American dishes, with a unique menu packed with flavor and creativity. From birria pastelitos to their new cheesesteak sandwich — which is made with Baez’s own unique signature culinary creations of an everything, seasoned bagel bread roll — the restaurant has continued operating despite the damage.

“Lynnfield is being rebuilt. We will be back in Lynnfield within a few months,” Baez said. “We’re looking at fall right now, but spread the word. Lynnfield is back on the map!”

After the accident, the restaurant has been pushing past the tough times thanks to fundraising efforts and continued operations out of their Methuen location.

“We did a lot of fundraisers almost every other weekend — from our local community, sporting teams, literally recovery places, we did all types of fundraisers, so to see that people had noticed what we were doing, it was really cool and really emotional,” Baez told The Daily Item. “People showed it with hard-earned money, and that was incredible to see [because] it helped. I lost a lot of hours for my staff, we lost a lot of food. We were in a hole.”

Baez was also unsure whether reopening in Lynnfield was even going to be possible, stating: “We do want to open up a second location; we just don’t know if it’s gonna be [in] that building or if we’re gonna have to go to another building.”

And yet, it’s with positivity and a commitment to his craft that he and his staff have continued to serve their customer base and garner attention. Their announcement post is currently going viral on social media and has amassed 45,000 views on Instagram and 38,000 views on Facebook thus far. The hundreds of comments on their posts tell the story of just how much the town supports  School Street Foods and how it’s become a staple to the community. All the while, Baez leaves them with an empowering message in the video:

“You can knock down a building, but you can’t knock down a vibe,” he said.