After the pandemic crippled the industry, and high prices have taken a toll, the last thing a restaurant needs is to shell out money to fix damage or replace items after a break in. But, the amount of petty crime being taken out against local eateries appears to be on a rise, and vandalism has been the biggest part.
For some places, crime was expected. At least for Blaine Baggao, owner of Adobo (3109 N. Federal Blvd., Denver) in Highland. Since landing the brick-and-mortar space in 2021, Baggao has had people trying to live in the backyard, break-in attempts, and recently, someone threw rocks at the front and broke the window. Still, Baggao continues to run his restaurant, which serves a blend of Filipino and New Mexican fare, and works as a commissary for his food trucks.
A lot of the vandalism, he said, comes from the unhoused population in the area. Not only are the people in need, but many appear to struggle with mental health. That’s why, he added, when someone tries to punch him while he takes pictures of his restaurant outside or pisses on his truck, he tries to give them a little grace.
While Adobo faces vandalism due to location, other spots have had issues with theft. Last month the locked, walk-in cooler owned by Annette in Stanley Marketplace (2501 Dallas St., Aurora) was forced open and around $8,000 of high-end ingredients, prepped food, and expensive wines were taken. All the chef and owner Caroline Glover had was a video, which showed the perpetrators in action.
Glover lucked out. After posting about the break in on social media, friends, fans, and vendors sent produce, wine, meat, and money, as well as bought gift cards and filled the restaurant the whole weekend after.
At Columbine Steakhouse & Lounge (300 Federal Blvd., Denver), a burglary in July left the restaurant missing about 250 steaks. Yes, just steaks were taken. While the meat costs proved weighty, it was the damage to the building that really set the restaurant back.
Owner Irene Apergis, who has run the popular steakhouse since 1961, told Deverite the back door and wall in the kitchen were demolished. Not only that, but the break in caused pipes to burst and the gas line to leak.
It was the third time something like this had happened, and Apergis stated on social media that she wasn’t sure she would open again after that. Lucky for patrons, she did last month.
Other notable acts of destruction include a break in at The Brutal Poodle (1967 S Broadway, Denver) in May. The South Broadway pub claimed around $7,000 in tips and restaurant funds were taken. And, like Annette, the restaurant was helped out by customers, who raised over $10,000 to make up for the damages.
There were also a couple incidents at Now Phở (1195 S. Federal Blvd., Denver), a Vietnamese restaurant on Federal Boulevard. Co-owner Toan Le believed someone backed a truck into the door of his spot in order to break in. It happened more than once, he added, and the cost to repair the damage proved worse than the tangible losses.
For Austin Adamson, co-owner of Ballmar Peak Distillery in Lakewood, it cost him $900 to replace the door a vandal broke with a golf club. Though he had insurance, the deductible was $1,000, so he had to pay out of pocket. It was the first time the small craft distillery had been broken into, and hopefully, added Adamson, the last.
The weirdest thing about it, said the distiller, is what the thief went after.
“He only stole a bottle of Golden Rum, grabbed some ice and left, it could have been much worse,” added Adamson, who observed on the security footage that the thief even used the distillery’s tablet to light his way, but left it there. “We are joking we should make a little library with shooter bottles with a sign that says, ‘break this instead of breaking in.”
But whether crime is rising or restaurant owners are getting better at posting about it on social media, it’s hard to say. According to the Denver Police Department, this past July saw 70 crime-related citations involving restaurants, and 37 of those were burglaries. In May and June the total reported was 30 and 50 respectively. Compare that to prior years, the same months saw between 36 to 41 reports. Though in 2022 the numbers were higher between 39 and 47.
All we do know for sure is that crime hurts an industry already vulnerable. And let’s be real, who needs 250 steaks anyway.
