quarry cafe toronto

Toronto restaurant broken into for the third time by the same perpetrator

2021 is not off to a great start for a small community cafe in Toronto that was broken into for the third time by the same perpetrator near the end of January.

A GoFundMe was started for The Quarry Cafe after the second time they were broken into. The fundraiser has a $5000 goal to help cover costs from the break-ins, and suggests you order a meal from them if you don't donate in order to support them.

"The Quarry Cafe has been a staple in our community for many years. A family owned restaurant that's been struggling to keep [a float] during the pandemic. They offer home cooked meals made with love, large portions of food, amazing prices and an incredible atmosphere inside and out," reads the page.

Quarry Cafe owner Chris Kamarlingos posted a video of the most recent incident to Facebook on Jan. 28, showing the burglar breaking into the business around 4 a.m. The previous two break-ins by the same person occurred two nights in a row in December.

Kamarlingos told blogTO the break-ins have cost him about $6000 out of pocket and that he's not relying on his insurance because it will go up if he uses it, and that there's a "$1000 deductible, and it's not worth it."

Not only are these robberies costly, Kamarlingos says they also take time away from the business because he has to call police and change the windows. The WiFi was broken during the first break-ins, leaving Quarry without phone lines.

Though Kamarlingos knew someone broke in and called 911 right away this time, the robber still wasn't caught. Kamarlingos has had to resort to putting up signs in the windows saying they don't carry cash, and the police advised him to put the cash register in front of the door.

Though he's in the process of putting iron bars on the doors and more cameras with a motion sensor light he hopes will scare thieves away, Kamarlingos want to note that "people come support" Quarry from the community, and is adamant that he loves his neighbourhood and it's "not the community's fault."

Lead photo by

Chris Kamarlingos


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