MANHATTAN — The organic, macrobiotic restaurant Souen promotes harmony among diners through simple food, but two men were not feeling the peaceful vibe when they allegedly robbed the place.
The suspects, who were caught on surveillance cameras, entered Souen's 28 E. 13th St. location sometime between 11 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 a.m. Monday, police said.
They made off with about $1,000 in cash, server Luke Stevens, 27, said Wednesday morning.
No one was in the restaurant at the time, Stevens said. A baker who arrived at 7 a.m. Monday found the restaurant in a state of disarray.
"The offices were broken into. [The burglars] tried to take the safe but it was too heavy. They smashed open all the cashier drawers, and there were papers and a mess everywhere," he said.
The burglars seemed to have broken in through a window on the roof, Stevens said. They did about $1,500 worth of damage to computers, a window, door and wall, he said.
The suspects are described as between 19 and 27 years old.
Souen has other locations at 210 Sixth Ave. and 326 E. 6th St.
"Our concept is to let people all over the world experience real, traditional Japanese food [and] delicious macrobiotic food," the restaurant's website says.
"We'd like people to bring it into their lives to allow them to heal themselves, improve their immune systems and have a more enjoyable, harmonious life. Our aim is to contribute to a peaceful world."
Stevens said he was surprised that a robbery would take place on East 13th Street.
"This doesn't seem like an area where something like this would happen," he said.
DNAinfo's Crime & Safety Report shows that the 6th Precinct, which covers Greenwich Village, has some of the city's highest per capita crime.
