San Francisco Hayes Valley restaurant hit three times in burglary, vandalism spree
SAN FRANCISCO - The top chef at a restaurant in San Francisco's Hayes Valley says he believes the same man may be responsible in a predawn break-in spree.
"All told, this is like our month’s profit, just for nothing," said Joey Altman, executive chef at Hazie's at Octavia and Hayes streets.
The intruder didn’t take much but forced the restaurant to spend at least $13,000 to replace broken windows.
"I love San Francisco. We’re not in a doom loop," Altman said. "This area specifically is thriving, but we need a little more help from the city."
Surveillance video shows a man squeezing through the restaurant's accordion gates at about 5 a.m. Sunday. He used some kind of tool to shatter the glass door.
"Hopped over the bar, opened the registers – nothing in the registers – got nothing, and then left," Altman said.
Altman said the same man may have broken another window in July, also at 5 a.m. Nothing was taken because he didn't go inside.
And in another incident last month, someone broke another window near the bar and stole a couple bottles of liquor.
On Monday, a crew was on site to replace the one-inch thick, double-paned insulated glass panels that were broken from the first two incidents.
"These are custom-made panes of glass. They don’t have them on the shelf," Altman said. "It takes a long time to get them. It’s very expensive – and it’s not covered by insurance."
Abel Velazquez of Abel Glass stopped by the restaurant to replace wooden boards with new glass. He says business has been brisk.
"We are so busy. Thank God we are so busy. Business is OK for us, but I feel bad for customers, you know? Velazquez said.
As Velazquez was fixing the glass, the chef was trimming the fat, prepping the stock and hot sauce and hoping the intruder doesn't return.
"It’s just really frustrating and dejecting when little things like this just make it harder and harder," Altman said.
The restaurant’s among the boutique shops and trendy spots in Hayes Valley that attract locals, visitors and pampered pooches.
"Hopefully they will do something. But it's just, it doesn't feel safe, you know, to walk around in the city, and I hope for a better future," said Tanveer Gill as she walked her dog, clad in a pink sweater and doggy shoes.
Hannah Kringle-Abbott, visiting from Reno with her pug in a stroller said, "It's kind of sad. I feel for the local people out here because we're just here like for a couple days, but the people like, that's like one of the home places that they go to, like that's like a place of comfort."
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
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