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WEST TOWN — Some business owners in Wicker Park, West Town and the surrounding area are beefing up their security after a spate of robberies at bars, restaurants and corner stores this spring, at least some of which are connected, police said.
As early as April 25, at least four bars were broken into: Cobra Lounge on the West Side, Irish Nobleman in Westtown, Tuman’s Tap & Grill in Ukrainian Village and Harley’s Tap in Bucktown.
Six other break-ins and thefts occurred between March 17 and April 29, according to a police alert. Between March 17 and April 15, Mott St., 1401 N. Ashland Ave. Four of those targeted, the police said.
In Humboldt Park, Western Food & Grocery, 1358 N. Western Ave. and Zoku Sushi, 1616 N. Kedzie Ave., were robbed in the early hours of April 16 and April 29, police said.
At all times of the break, someone breaks the front or side windows with a rock, brick or crowbar to gain entry, then steals drinks and money from the register or safe, police said. Police said the culprit was seen getting into a red Nissan Murano.
Vicky Kim, co-owner of Mott St., said the robbers stole money and caused extensive damage on two occasions. Mott St. It no longer accepts cash as a precaution, and Kim said managers have been warning employees to be vigilant when they leave work.
“We’ve gone cashless, so we don’t have any cash at home, which is literally for crime prevention and also for the safety of our employees,” Kim said. “So yeah, the last two times they couldn’t get anything. Although there were computers, laptops, iPads, things out there… they were targeting cash.
On Monday, police issued another alert regarding 13 other robberies in the West Town area. In those, someone breaks in through a stone or brick window and uses a crowbar to open registers and safes, police said.
Police did not release a description of the perpetrators, other than to say they were men wearing black clothing, masks and gloves.
Several Westtown and Bucktown businesses not included in Monday’s community alert also reported break-ins recently.
Anthony, a Harley Tap managing partner who asked to be identified only by his first name, said the man who broke into the bar last week stole $1,500 and some iPads. But the real cost will be $8,000-$9,000 in damage to the door, cash register and office.
“They broke the computer, they broke the audiovisual towers. You know, they broke the press there. It was a mess,” he said. “That’s where it’s most beneficial to me, is the later cost, all that money that has to be saved to fix everything,” he said. “Those are things that insurance doesn’t cover.”
Candy’s Grocery, 1366 W. Ohio St., at the corner store in Westtown. and restaurant Fry the Coop, 1529 W. Chicago Ave. Both were broken into around 5 a.m. on April 14, owners said.
“They took our register and broke it on the ground. And then they stole random things,” said Adriana Alcala-Marces, owner of Candy Grocery.
Alcala-Marchese said she’s worried her corner grocery store could be targeted again. She’s thinking of a dog for the store to give her peace of mind even when she’s out and about during the day.
“I think maybe a dog is blocking someone from an alarm or fearing that the police might come here. You have to be here in seconds to catch them,” she said.
In some cases, business owners said nothing was stolen in the break-in. Instead, the people go into the back room or basement, the business owners said.
Fry the Coop was broken into about 15 minutes after Candy’s was robbed, owner Joe Fontana said.
Someone broke a brick through the front window and then used a crowbar to clean the glass to gain entry, they said. The man didn’t take anything, but instead walked past the restaurant and up the second-floor back stairwell, where they broke into an apartment, Fontana assessed.
The break-in woke one of the tenants and the intruder immediately ran away, Fontana said.
“You can see him run out the window and jump the fence as he runs up the stairs,” he explained. And then it takes off,” Fontana said. “He didn’t take a thing, literally…he was in and out in four minutes.”
Fontana boarded the glass and paid an artist to paint on it. He expects to pay a total of about $3,500 in restitution.
“It seems frustrating, because to me it seems like you can go into places and get away and never get caught,” Fontana said.
Credit: Facebook / Quinn MyersIn the first community alert issued Sunday, police advised against investing in ArmorPlast, a product manufactured by Riot Glass LLC, that installs on glass.
Anthony said he would like to invest in similar safety shutters for the Hurley Tap, although he predicts it could cost the business more than $10,000.
Irish Nobleman owners Candace and Declan Morgan say they’ve been getting quotes for security upgrades like ArmorPlast, but it’s a cost they and many other small business owners can’t afford.
“From my experience, I don’t think this is going to be a financially viable option for probably 95 percent of the small restaurants that are going through this problem and are being targeted,” said Candace Morgan.
The people of Morgan worry that the West Town bar, located on a quiet residential corner, could strike again. Last week, the wrecker searched the back rooms and part of the house, but ultimately took nothing from the business.
For now, Dylan Morgan said the couple is considering leaving their dogs — a German shepherd and a Doberman — in the bar overnight to scare off any intruders.
The owners of Mott St., Kim are looking to add security windows to the building. They also hope police will increase patrols during the early morning hours when the four break-ins occurred.
Anthony, a partner at Harley Tap, said he was upset but wouldn’t let the breakup “beat us”.
“We will continue to support them by being part of the community as much as we can,” he said.
Fontana felt the same way.
“We’re trying to spread the joy of making chicken sandwiches,” he said. “We’re not going to let these bad seeds stop us from continuing to do what we do.”
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