Owner of Vancouver restaurant targeted four times in past year warns small businesses – BC | 24CA News
A Vancouver restaurant is one more instance of the challenges small companies are going through in the case of break-ins and vandalism within the metropolis.
Since opening simply over a 12 months in the past, Zarak by Afghan Kitchen in Mount Pleasant has been focused greater than 4 instances.
The newest incident occurred early Wednesday. Surveillance cameras captured the thief jimmying the lock on the entrance door at 3 a.m., then yanking the money register out of the wall and taking off.
“He checks out the neighbourhood, makes sure nobody’s around, he’s in and out in 30 seconds, grabs the cash register,” stated co-owner Hassib Sarwari after the restaurant posted the video to social media.
Back in June, somebody walked in and held up restaurant workers throughout the top of the brunch rush.
“That was really scary actually. A gentleman walking in, saying, ‘Give me all your money.’ And he went as far as saying, ‘I’m going to kill you guys if I don’t give you the money.’ And we had a full restaurant.”
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Vancouver police say they’re conscious of each incidents and acknowledge related break-in and vandalism sprees are impacting already-struggling companies in and across the downtown core.
“It’s definitely an ongoing problem. It’s something we’re seeing all around the city. Whether it be glass breaks at store fronts, or actual break and enters,” Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin stated.
“We’re noticing from speaking with people in the community that they’re no longer reporting them to the police. They’re not even reporting them to their insurance companies because it’s just a burden for them. So, a lot of these small businesses are eating out of pocket.”
Sarwari agrees, saying submitting a police report provides additional work to a small business proprietor’s already lengthy and busy day.
Earlier this month, CityLux Boutique, a luxurious clothes retailer, was focused by vandals for the second time in latest months. They smashed the glass however didn’t handle to get inside. The business, nevertheless, is out 1000’s of {dollars}.
“It was really frustrating. Because I know what it entails, because it’s happened to us before,” supervisor Kim Nguyen informed Global News on the time.
It’s the same story on the close by butcher store, Sebastian and Co. The proprietor is annoyed by a number of break-ins and burglaries in a matter of weeks.
“It just seems like people get caught and then released, and then there’s no consequences. So mainly what I’m thinking is there’s no fear,” Sebastian Cortez stated.
Sarwari says the most recent incident didn’t value them a lot money, however it is going to seemingly value them upwards of $1,000 to exchange the locks, purchase a brand new register and join it to their system.
He doesn’t assume his business is being focused particularly, and he empathizes with those that really feel the necessity to resort to crime, but in addition hopes the break ins will cease.
“We just wanted to bring awareness that it could happen to anybody at any time. We just wanted everyone to be safe and just look at their security process and procedures.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
