Oakland restaurant burglarized twice in one night just days before Thanksgiving
OAKLAND — AlaMar Dominican Kitchen on Grand Avenue has been hit six times in recent years by thieves or vandals.
This time, owner and chef Nelson German said the thief didn't even break the glass to gain entry. He used a crowbar to pry open the front door.
In the early morning hours on Monday, the suspect stole from the popular Oakland restaurant not once but twice within 15 minutes. First, he took cash from the register and then went back to clean out about $5,000 worth of alcohol.
"This one was more heartbreaking because Thanksgiving's coming up. It's a week of thankfulness and gratefulness, and for this to happen, kind of while we're away due to not just a small vacation but also my mom just had a brain tumor removed unfortunately," German said.
The former 'Top Chef' contestant said running alaMar Dominican Kitchen is deeply personal. The restaurant reflects his heritage and his love for Oakland.
"You want to think positive all the time. You're all about community, the town, the Bay Area, and then you just have to worry about things like this," he said. "So, just sad situation."
German said just three weeks ago someone destroyed a statue of the Oakland A's mascot Stomper right outside his restaurant. The vandal also damaged the restaurant's patio in the overnight hours.
"That's ridiculous. I'm not even surprised though because it's just so bad here. I mean, I saw the elephant statue knocked over on the ground, and I saw the video of everything getting stolen," said Nic Phelps of Oakland.
Phelps is a frequent customer at alaMar and lives nearby.
"All the food businesses around here, it's just such a sense of community everyone knows each other. They're all supporting each other, and it just makes Oakland really feel like home," she said.
AlaMar said it needs the community's support to help recoup its losses, whether that's preordering holiday meals or dining in.
"Main thing is support your small business, and one thing is, it's not just about us, it's what's happening to everyone around the Bay, San Francisco and in Oakland, a lot of us are having a hard time and getting broken into," he added.
German said Oakland Police showed up hours after the burglary. He's also reached out to Mayor Sheng Thao's office and his councilmember for any kind of assistance or support, but has not yet heard back.
