Toronto restaurant devastated after someone stole its tables just before patio reopening
Early Thursday morning at around 4 a.m., a local taco joint had its brand new picnic table stolen off of their closed, back patio.
Clandestina Tacos, a small Mexican taqueria that serves up bite-size, authentic tacos, was hard at work this month prepping for their re-opening as part of the new rules and regulations for bars and restaurant patios.
Owner Ernesto Rodriguez said that picnic tables are in high demand right now for the food and beverage industry, so they made sure to order over a month in advance to be ready in time. They also come in pieces which meant his staff had to assemble the tables.
On Thursday he spoke to neighbours who witnessed the table being quickly loaded into a pickup truck and driven away.
"Everyone on my team was super down when we found out, because it's not just the table, it's the attitude," Rodriguez said.
"Every table means missing money when trying to survive."
In a completely inspiring turn of events, 11 North Contruction reached out to the restaurant and showed up this morning with all the material to build a new picnic table, totally free of charge.
"These guys said they love us and just wanted to give something back, and it brought my team way up. I can't thank 11 North enough," Rodriguez said.
"It's this sense of community that makes this city special."
Clandestina Tacos' team said that the first day of being open has been an amazing experience and people seem thrilled to finally be back outside, celebrating with family and friends.
"The energy in the city right now is amazing," he said.
