Hundreds of Avon restaurant patrons honor 13 soldiers killed in Afghanistan

AVON, Ohio (WOIO) - Hundreds of people called and visited the Veranda Bistro & Bar in Avon Saturday evening to raise a glass in honor of the 13 service people killed in a terror attack at the Kabul Airport Thursday.

“There are people who are Instagram famous like the Kardashians,” said Jackson Heller, who owns the restaurant with his brother Matt. “But what the men and women are doing in Afghanistan means the world to us... Those are the real heroes.”

The restaurant set 13 places at their community table in honor of those killed Thursday, Heller said. Customers and members of the community could buy a beer in their honor with the proceeds to benefit Tomahawk Charitable Solutions, a Nashville non-profit.

The restaurant raised about $1,500 for the charity that benefits special operations forces, law enforcement officers, and their families, said Heller. The two brothers also said they received offers to match the donations from other businesses in the area.