Asian Fusion Restaurant Chain Fears It Will Strike Again After Multiple Robberies – London | Globalnews.ca

The owners of Mr. and Mrs. Bao, a small chain of Asian fusion restaurants in London, are speaking out after two of their London restaurants suffered multiple break-ins, which they believe may be motivated by hate.

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Co-owner Julia Hou says that within a week her London location and a new site in the center have come under repeated attack.

“Of the four robberies, they were divided equally, two and two, and I think both were related,” Hou said.

“We knew that in the Toronto area, Asian restaurants were being attacked and robbed repeatedly, and it’s always the same people breaking into the same restaurant. So we’re starting to see that with us.”

She said this feeling of being targeted is fueled by a note left behind in one of the raids. Although the writing is hard to make out, it lists London and Toronto, two of the cities where the business is based, and the words “goodbye.”

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“It’s very hard to read, but it looks like someone is intentionally trying to send us a message,” he said.

Mr. and Mrs. Bao is an Asian fusion comfort food restaurant chain that started in London with a food truck in 2017. The company has since expanded to five stores with locations in London and Vaughan, and soon to be six with the opening of a new central London location called Mingle by Mr and Mrs Bao.

Video surveillance of the break-in at Mr and Mrs Bao at location 276 Wharncliffe Rd N in London on the morning of June 25, 2022.

Supplied by Julia Hou

On June 25, Hou says his 276 Wharncliffe Rd. N location was raided and then three days later his 551 Richmond St. location, which is still under renovation, was also attacked.

“The first time, they broke in and took all of our keys to the back door (at the Richmond Street location), the front door, the electrical panel, as well as the smoke detectors and garage remote. We reported that and replaced all of our keys and door locks,” Hou said.

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The final incidents occurred on July 4 with the Richmond Street location targeted at midnight and their Wharncliffe Road location two hours later.

“This time, they took the smoke detectors (on Richmond Street) again, but they also flooded the toilet. They turned on one of our faucets in the basement near the hot water tank, and then it flooded the toilet, and then they also proceeded to go dump in one of our storage rooms, and they left, and they took some uniforms with them,” said.

Note left for landlords in a past break-in and broken door at Mingle by Mr. and Mrs. Bao at 551 Richmond St. on the morning of July 4, 2022.

Supplied by Julia Hou

Flooding after a break-in at the Mingle by Mr. and Mrs. Bao location at 551 Richmond St. on the morning of July 4, 2022.

Supplied by Jula Hou

Hou said they smashed the front windows of his Wharncliffe Road location and stole the cash register, which had been empty since the last break-in.

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She estimates the total cost of lost income and repairs to be $6,600.

London police have confirmed that they are investigating the first two break-ins, but were unable to find a record of the two from July 4.

All of the break-ins at the Wharncliffe Road location were captured on security video, while Hou documented the damage to his Richmond Street location.

Security video shows a suspect breaking down the front door of the Wharncliffe Road location on July 4 and repeatedly throwing the cash register to the ground trying to open it before driving off with it.

While Hou says his business has weathered the pandemic, the break-ins are starting to have a real impact.

“Right now, it is a very difficult time because there is inflation that is affecting all industries and all sectors, but mainly the food service industry, and that, along with the fact that we continually have violations, in It is actually affecting our business significantly,” he said. he said she.

“We feel like we’re all part of a community, so more than anything, we want harmony and unity within the community, but at the same time, I feel like it’s up to us. If this is happening to us, our neighbors, and our fellow business owners, then I think it’s also up to me to step up and communicate this message that whatever is happening is not nice and we want it to stop. ”.

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