Harold & Belle’s, a famend Creole restaurant situated within the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, just lately skilled two break-ins, elevating issues about safety and neighborhood assist.
The primary break-in occurred on Saturday, December 21, 2024. Proprietor Ryan Legaux acquired an early morning name from workers alerting him: “I believe it’s best to get down right here as someone was within the restaurant final evening.”
Surveillance footage confirmed three people forcing entry with a crowbar. “They crowbarred the gate open, they usually crowbarred the kitchen door open to get contained in the restaurant,” Legaux defined. “They seemed across the restaurant for, like, I assume they have been on the lookout for cash.”
The intruders tried to entry the supervisor’s workplace secure however have been unsuccessful. “They acquired that door open however weren’t in a position to get into the secure,” he stated. In the end, the burglars left with bottles of alcohol, taking nothing of serious worth in the course of the first break-in.
Eight days later, on Sunday, December 29, 2024, the restaurant was focused once more. “Similar factor within the morning,” Legaux shared. “The primary man who was right here… says, ‘Hey man, I believe they have been again.’”
This time, the perpetrators used a crowbar to drive entry by way of totally different doorways and managed to entry a storage shed. Though many useful gadgets have been secured, the burglars stole a $4,000 piece of apparatus.
“They went to all totally different doorways that they hadn’t carried out the week earlier than,” Legaux stated. “The unnerving half is that they got here again twice already. It’s like they’re watching and ready.”
Legaux speculated that the restaurant’s status might need contributed to it being focused. “Folks see a spot like ours… they usually simply assume that there’s one thing available in there,” he defined.
Legaux famous that misconceptions about money being saved on-site now not align with fashionable cost strategies: “Folks simply pay with bank cards now; they don’t actually pay with money as a lot anymore.”
Including to the frustration, Legaux pointed to a malfunctioning alarm system as a vulnerability.
“We’ve had bother with ADT, the alarm firm, getting them to restore this alarm for effectively over a 12 months now,” stated Legaux. “The cameras captured some surveillance footage of them, however that doesn’t actually do something so far as the alarm.”
Regardless of the setbacks, Legaux emphasised the significance of sharing his story to boost consciousness. “We take all the right precautions, however it could actually nonetheless occur to us, so it could actually occur to anyone,” he stated. He urged others to safe their properties and stay vigilant.
The Los Angeles Police Division is investigating the incidents, however Legaux acknowledged challenges in prioritizing such instances.
“I don’t wish to say it’s a low precedence, however there’s quite a lot of different stuff occurring within the metropolis,” stated Legaux “No one was harm… some harm and a few gadgets lacking, nevertheless it’s not like we’re on the prime of their record.”
To help with the monetary burden of the damages, Harold & Belle’s has arrange a GoFundMe marketing campaign. “We’re establishing a GoFundMe to assist pay for some of these items,” Legaux shared.
Harold & Belle’s has been a Los Angeles staple since 1969, providing genuine Creole delicacies and serving as a gathering place for the neighborhood.
Reflecting on the broader challenges within the restaurant business, Legaux stated: “It’s already a troublesome enterprise, a troublesome time for eating places, and stuff like this doesn’t make it any simpler.”
Regardless of these setbacks, Harold & Belle’s stays dedicated to its legacy. Patrons can go to their GoFundMe marketing campaign to assist their restoration.
