When Sam Saberi took over his restaurant, Tina’s Grill, on July 1, 2019, just before the pandemic, he was worried about a few things.
“We’re the little one on the right corner of Aurora,” said Saberi, who owns the restaurant along with her parents, Harry and Azar. “Nobody knew we existed.”
Fortunately, with lots of great food and customer service, the business flourished, with lots of help from the community.
“We are very grateful for that.”
On December 20, parts of its popular courtyard were vandalized and the damage amounted to about $ 800.
The patio furniture shrink wrap, which he spent $ 700 on, was damaged, along with lights and a gazebo.
The only question for Saberi now is whether it was two bored young men with little else to do, or a coordinated act.
Since she had a dispute with someone about COVID protocols and walked into the restaurant this summer, Saberi says the restaurant has been subject to false reviews on Google and two fake orders for wings and burgers that were placed and never picked up, for a value of more than $ 100..
“I could hear his voice, he used the same name, Mark, but he gave us a fake number,” Saberi said of the unpaid orders, suggesting it was the same man.
Now he wonders if this individual could be responsible for the damage caused to the restaurant, considering the coordinated style of the incident, in which two young men damaged elements of the patio.
“The video shows that the vehicle dropped them off at the end of the parking lot and then picked them up,” he said. “I know that people are going through mental health problems right now, but this is not good to do.”
He said if the individuals are caught, he doesn’t want them to get into legal trouble; he just wants them to pay the $ 800 to cover the damages.
A big part of Saberi’s business philosophy is giving back.
When the community supports him, he considers it an obligation to support the community.
This Christmas Eve, for example, the restaurant will deliver turkey dinners to nine local families.
“We would not be here now without the support of the community,” he added. “We even have people who come in weekly from Barrie, from Scarborough. We are so grateful.”
Surveillance footage shows that the culprits were detained in a white van.
Saberi has notified the York Regional Police and is asking anyone who knows the identity of the culprits to contact the police at 1-866-876-5423.
Reference-www.thestar.com