The drive-through jokes are starting to get a little old at Mama’s Pizza.

For the second time in two years, the renowned Rice Street restaurant in St. Paul’s North End was struck by an errant driver, and this time there was a fair amount of damage.

Still, owner Tony Mudzinski said he hopes to get back open in a week or two. He declined to talk much about the incident, saying, “our main concern is just getting reopened.”

Police had plenty to say, though. According to them, a Chevy Malibu with three people in it, traveling north on Rice Street, struck the restaurant’s front facade just after 11 p.m. Tuesday. It also hit a traffic-light, which fell onto the car’s hood.

The restaurant was closed at the time, and nobody was injured.

According to surveillance video, two people got out of the car’s passenger door, and the driver exited shortly thereafter. He left the scene along with the passengers, but returned by the time a squad car showed up.

Wamisho Dimore, 21, first said he wasn’t driving, but later — when an officer said he’d likely been captured on video — admitted he had been. He said he didn’t know the names of the people who’d been in his car.

According to a police report, Dimore first said he was cut off by another car, couldn’t complete his turn and ran into the building — but then said he’d thought the light was green, and when he noticed it was red he tried to make quick turn and drove into the building.

Police, detecting a faint odor of alcohol, gave him a breathalyzer test on the spot, but he tested within the legal limit. He was released pending further investigation.

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Therapy dog-in training stolen in St. Paul found, reunited with owners The last time someone tried to treat Mama’s like a drive-through, in the summer of 2015, the restaurant stayed open during repairs. A van struck the front facade, damaging the bricks, then drove away. Police caught up with the driver, whose alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

But this time, the damage appears much more extensive — with an interior wall damaged along with a big hole in the front façade.

The restaurant has seen other trials: it was damaged in 2010 by arson at the building next door; and in 2007 a frozen, burst water pipe caused extensive damage and led to a big renovation.

The family-run restaurant, at 961 Rice Street, has been a neighborhood mainstay for 53 years.