A Sinkhole Causes Mexican Favorite Lindo Michoacan to Temporarily Close

Lindo Michoacan, the Mexican restaurant on the eastside, temporarily closed after the owners discovered a sinkhole that opened in the middle of the dining room on November 14. The 30-year-old restaurant closed to address a leaking pipe “causing water damage that may have been going on for some time,” the restaurant tells KTNV.

Clark County building department inspector say that the structure itself appears fine. “However, due to an underground water line break, several areas of the slab have settled and will be replaced,” says Erik R. Pappa, Clark County director of public communications. “The restaurant’s contractor is in the process of pulling a building permit to replace the slab and a plumbing permit to replace the leaking pipe responsible for the slab’s settling.”

Sally Jaramillo at 8 News Now says owner Javiar Barajas told her it may take up to a year to repair the restaurant.

Barajas opened the Original Lindo Michoacan on Desert Inn Road on January 6, 1990, with 12 tables. It later expanded to three dining rooms with room for more than 300 diners and two other locations in Summerlin and Henderson. In 2002, a fire burned down the restaurant, and the restaurant rebuilt to reopen in 2004.

This time around, Lindo Michoacan laid off 80 employees while the restaurant repairs the damage. “The safety of our guests and employees is deeply important to us,” the restaurant tells the news station. “We are currently working to fully evaluate the situation, including the extent of the damage so we can repair and be back to our wonderful daily routines, with it, the camaraderie we experienced with our guests.”

• ’Sinkhole’ threatens popular Las Vegas restaurant’s structure, causes temporary closure [KTNV]

• All Coverage of Lindo Michoacan [ELV]