Restaurant out thousands after break-ins
A San Francisco restaurant owner said his business suffered thousands of dollars in losses after thieves broke in early Sunday morning — the third break-in Los Yaquis in Bernal Heights endured in the past four months, according to owner Samuel Aguirre.
Staff arrived Sunday morning at the restaurant on Folsom Street in Bernal Heights to find a smashed front window, and three tablets used to orchestrate deliveries and an empty cash register stolen.
At 7:45 a.m. Sunday, an employee called Samuel Aguirre, the owner, to break the news to him.
Security camera footage captured the moment when one person shattered the restaurant’s front window, Aguirre said. The security footage posted online showed a person walking into the restaurant and walking out moments later with what appeared to be a cash register.
Aguirre said he filed police reports after each of the three break-ins, which began in April. Samuel’s wife, Priscilla Aguirre, who helps run the restaurant, estimates the break-ins have cost the business around $15,000 in damages and subsequent attempts at security enhancements.
Samuel Aguirre has had difficulty sleeping at night, often waking in the middle of the night with the feeling someone will break in, he said.
“I don’t feel safe,” he said. Priscilla Aguirre said they have been waiting for insurance payments since April for the first reported break-in.
Since 2008, Samuel Aguirre has owned Los Yaquis on 324 South Van Ness Ave. In September 2019, he opened another location at 3214 Folsom St.
San Francisco police officials said in a statement that officers were still investigating the latest break-in, and that no arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I feel sad. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but God gives me the strength to get up and continue,” Samuel Aguirre said. “It’s not just me. It’s the employees that depend on this place.”
Luis Escobar, a server who’s worked at Los Yaquis for the past nine years, opened up the restaurant Monday morning. The windows were custom-made and will take two to three weeks to repair, he said.
As Escobar organized chairs and moved tables into place, the window was boarded up and caution tape hung nearby. He said they were more cautious as a result of the break-ins and don’t leave anything out anymore. The restaurant will install a new gate out front, he added.
“The show must go on,” Escobar said.