GRAND CROSSING — A local breakfast restaurant was forced to temporarily close after someone stole the electrical wiring on the outside of the building, cutting off power to the restaurant.
Constance Simms-Kincaid, owner of 5 Loaves Eatery, 405 E. 75th St., said power was cut off completely because the electrical wiring was stolen. According to police, someone took the copper wire off the outside of the building between 6 a.m and 7 a.m. Friday. No one is in custody for the theft, police said.
Simms-Kincaid said that this is the second time this has happened. The first time, it took her two months to reopen, she said.
On Friday morning, one of her cooks arrived to work and noticed the power was off, she said. None of the food she had bought the day before the theft was salvageable, which means she lost at least $800, she said. Having to temporarily close the restaurant also hurts.
“January and February are the toughest months for restaurants, so for something like this to happen at the end of February, it pulls you down even further,” Simms-Kincaid said.
She plans to reopen the restaurant on Wednesday, but said each day day she's closed it hurts.
“Even one day in a small business like this can knock you out, especially over a weekend,” she said.
Loyal customers have been helping. On Saturday, a woman walked in and offered her $1,000.
“I burst out into tears, I was so grateful and joyous about it. God is good, and I love our Chatham folks,” Simms-Kincaid said.
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