AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Just a couple of Saturdays ago, the business plaza along South Parker Road looked very different: fences blocked off the sidewalks and customers were pulling up to these restaurants and businesses, wondering what happened and learning about the fire.
For some, going to work can be a chore, but for Tahir Choudhry, it’s what brings him joy.
“It just means everything for me, you know? It was my place where I come happy to work, you know? I love, enjoy the people around here. I love the mosque. I love the, you know, the people coming in every day,” Choudhry said.
Since 2017, Choudhry has been coming into Gyros and Kabobs, serving food to his customers. From everyday visitors to first timers, it never mattered to Choudhry.
“I enjoy feeding people,” Choudhry said. “And that’s what I do, you know. I enjoy what I do, you know, cooking food, you know, trying to be nice to people, trying to feed somebody, you know, cannot fend for themselves.”
Just two weeks ago, an overnight fire destroyed the restaurant, the one next door and caused heavy smoke damage to several other businesses in the plaza, shutting down more than a dozen storefronts. Choudhry says he was leaving to go grocery shopping when he got the call.
“I turned it around. I was way out, E-470 and I-25. So I turned all the way back around and came here. So look at the place. I could not breathe,” Choudhry said.
A business to him that is more than just four walls. A way to connect and share his passion with all who walk through his doors. The outpouring of support is something he tells me is something he would never have dreamed of, but through that support, he is working to build back the place he loved and lost.
“I just want them to be, have patience. I’ll be back as soon as possible and welcome soon I open. You know, I’ll be happy to serve them again,” Choudhry said.
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