Williamsburg restaurant says recent break-in adds another hardship during pandemic

Williamsburg restaurant owners are picking up the pieces after a break-in was caught on camera.

News 12 Staff

Jun 6, 2020, 2:39 AM

Updated 1,444 days ago

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Williamsburg restaurant owners are picking up the pieces after a break-in was caught on camera.
Security video appears to show someone walking to the door of Claudia’s Restaurant, smashing it with a brick and climbing through the broken glass Wednesday morning.
The owners say the looter got away their iPad and an entire shelf of alcohol.
"In the current climate that we're in, I just kind of feel like people are taking advantage of the fact of what's going on, and to attack small businesses, it just doesn't make any sense to me." says co-owner Raffaello Vancouten.
With the business already struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, the owners say having to replace the glass is an added blow.
"It becomes a real struggle, like where do we go from this? We're getting pressure from the landlord, ‘Hey, we want our money. Hey, we need our money’ and we keep saying there is no money," Vancouten says.
A wooden board is now in place of what used to be glass. The owners say there is a GoFundMe that was originally started to help the business during the pandemic, but after the break-in, they say they need it now more than ever.
"It's nice to see that people are actually giving back and contributing so that maybe, you know, in a week or two we can do some to-go items and hopefully have something coming in and be somewhat of a business again," Vancouten says.
The owners filed a police report and they say they want to find the person responsible, and hope to prevent them from doing this again.
 


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