Luby's to reopen Killeen unit

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 16, 1991 by Carolyn Walkup

KILLEEN, Texas -- Looking to close a painful chapter in the company's history, Luby's Cafeterias has decided to renovate and reopen the unit here where more than 22 customers were gunned down in October by an out-of-work merchant marine.

"The community decided they wanted us to reopen," said Ralph Erben, Luby's president. "We deferred making any kind of decision after the tragedy. We have had the overwhelming support of the community to reopen."

He did not specify how the company gauged public sentiment in making its decision.

Almost all of the original 45 employees, who have continued to get paid while the cafeteria was closed, have agreed to come back to work, Erben said. "They have been very supportive and want the cafeteria to reopen," he commented.

Erben and Killeen Mayor Major Blair jointly announced the renovation and reopening, which is planned for March 1992.

The decision contrasts with the one made by McDonald's after its unit in San Ysidro, Calif., was the scene of 21 shooting deaths. The site was torn down and is now a memorial dedicated to those killed.

Experts predicted that Luby's customers would not soon forget the tragedy of last Oct. 16, when George Hennard rammed a truck through the front plate-glass window of the cafeteria and shot into the lunch crowd of 200 for more than 10 minutes. He then shot himself to death without giving a clude to his motives.

"A situation like that is going to affect everyone in town," said Morley Shaw, a San Antonio psychotherapist who specializes in post-crisis treatment. "You can make a safe bet that everyone who was in the restaurant will have post-traumatic stress syndrome," a troubling condition that plagues persons who have experienced terrifying situations like combat.

"The sense of safety will be lost, the sense of security," said Shaw, who offered his counseling services to the town of Killeen shortly after the shootings. "They'll have fears of that recurring, of not being safe. They'll have dreams of being shot at."

Employees may have additional issues to resolve, Shaw added.

"They will experience it as a violation," he explained. "It would be like having your house violated, like feeling there's no place to be safe."

Erben and his associates said they expect business to go on as usual after the reopening.

Luby's acted quickly after the shooting to temper the trauma's impact on residents and employees. It donated $100,000 to an emergency relief fund to help the victims' families and provided free motel accommodations to relatives who needed a place to stay.