‘We’re family’: Lokal restaurant rallies around injured manager after deadly crash

A local restaurant chain is stepping up in a big way to support one of their own after a deadly crash last week on Interstate 44 near Western.

Tristen Cherry, a beloved manager at The Lokal in Mustang, was one of several people hurt in the deadly wrong-way crash on May 2. His fiancée, 23-year-old Katelyn Callahan, was killed. The couple had been planning to get married later this month.

“He talked about it a lot, saying ‘I just can’t wait to get married,’” said Erich Jacoby, director of operations at The Lokal.

Cherry, Callahan, Cherry’s 17-year-old sister, and her friend were driving home from the Calf Fry Festival in Stillwater when the crash happened. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the other driver, 29-year-old Sergio Ibarra, was intoxicated, driving the wrong way.

“A lot of crying, you know, just the whole situation of him and the fiancée and then everybody else in the car, it's just tragic,” Jacoby said.

Jacoby says Cherry had only worked at The Lokal for about a year but quickly made his mark as a manager.

“He always had a smile on his face,” Jacoby said. “The impact he had on the staff and the regulars, everybody absolutely adored him. Just a good kid.”

Now, Cherry’s work family is coming together to support both his and Callahan’s families. On Friday night, The Lokal’s Mustang and Yukon locations will host a fundraiser from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with 25% of all sales going directly to the families. Cash donations will also be accepted.

“We’re family,” Jacoby said. “And when something happens to one of our own, we take care of them. We told his parents that he’s going to be welcomed back with open arms. He’s the kind of kid you want to help succeed.”

No arrests have been made, and Ibarra remains hospitalized as the investigation continues.

The fundraiser kicks off Friday evening at both Lokal locations.

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