2 Houston restaurants burglarized days apart, owners say break-ins add to small business struggles

HOUSTON - Two Houston restaurant owners are cleaning up and assessing their losses after separate burglaries just days apart, with both crimes captured on surveillance video.

Houston restaurants cleaning up following burglaries within days of each other

What we know:

Trendy Dumpling

Trendy Dumpling owner Ling Wang said her alarm woke her around 1 a.m. Monday. She checked her security cameras but said it was too dark to initially tell what was happening.

Wang went to the restaurant but said she waited outside until police arrived before going inside.

"I didn't want to go into until the police got here, so I was waiting outside for the police to come," said Wang. 

Once inside, Wang said she discovered the restaurant had lost money and iPads used for its point-of-sale system. Video from the restaurant also shows shattered glass and damage left behind.

Wang said the burglary comes during an already difficult time for the restaurant industry. Trendy Dumpling had recently posted on social media about slow business during Houston Restaurant Weeks.

"A lot of our small restaurants are struggling, and they are fighting with the slow season, and this happens and it's not good," said Wang. 

The owner said the restaurant now has to pay to repair the broken glass, clean up the damage and replace or recover the equipment that was stolen.

The Deck on Fountainview

Just one day earlier, another Houston restaurant was dealing with a similar situation.

The Deck on Fountainview Sports Bar and Grill, located in the Galleria area, says it was burglarized around 4:42 a.m. Sunday.

Owner Toby Holt said the business is already struggling financially and the impact of the burglary extends beyond him. He said 15 employees rely on the restaurant to make a living.

Holt said the burglars made their way into his office and removed a safe that was roughly five feet tall.

"They got in my office and our safe is about a 5-foot safe, so it's a big safe, and they took it out the back door," Holt said. 

Holt stated the burglars also stole approximately $5,200 worth of liquor, using large trash cans to carry it out.

"They took three big trash cans and just filled them up and hauled them out to their truck or whatever," Holt said. 

In addition to what was stolen, Holt said several parts of the restaurant were damaged, including doors leading to his office and liquor room.

The owners previously estimated the burglary caused more than $10,000 in property damage and resulted in more than $7,000 worth of stolen inventory, leaving the small business facing a loss of more than $17,000.

The Deck has shared surveillance images of the burglars in hopes that someone in the community will recognize them and help investigators identify those responsible.

For Holt, the burglary has also prompted him to make changes moving forward.

"I am just going to upgrade my security."

What's next:

Both restaurants are continuing to operate while dealing with the aftermath of the burglaries.

Houston police are investigating. It is not yet clear whether investigators believe the two restaurant burglaries are connected.

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