Local restaurants support their competitors after burglars hit southwest Minneapolis eateries
MINNEAPOLIS -- Food brings people together, even if they're from different kitchens.
"It's a coming together of the community and neighborhood, and even in the hard times, we feel it," said Peter Campbell, owner of Red Wagon Pizza Co. "This has been beautiful."
According to police, Red Wagon was one of three restaurants in southwest Minneapolis that were burglarized in the first two weeks of January. A Minneapolis police spokesperson confirmed an investigation is active and ongoing, but no arrests have been made.
Campbell said Red Wagon was hit on the morning of New Year's Day.
"You just feel violated," he said. "Someone was in your space and obviously didn't care about it."
Security footage of the burglary obtained by WCCO showed a swift entrance and exit by at least one burglar. Campbell said he was pleasantly surprised there wasn't any damage to the building.
"The gentleman who broke in popped the door open faster than I can get in with a key," he said. "They're in and out in three minutes with very little damage to the building, just damage to my belongings. They knew what they were doing. It was a professional burglary done by a very polite burglar."
The other burglaries occurred just a few blocks away: Colita on Jan. 4, and then Broders' Pasta Bar on Jan. 9.
"We live in a challenging time when crime exists," Campbell said.
He added that police responded "within minutes" to the burglary, but just as swift as MPD's response was the outpouring of support Campbell said he received from his colleagues at other restaurants.
Among them was Luke Derheim of Craft & Crew Restaurants, who told WCCO it was an "easy decision" to support what might be considered the competition.
"I can recall times during the pandemic when we had run out of to-go containers and we ran out of chicken," Derheims said. "We've asked for favors from other restaurants, too, and it happens more often than you probably envision. It's really a sense of community that the pay-it-forward's there."
Derheim said he quickly sent an extra printer and cash drawer to Red Wagon to replace some of the broken technology damaged in the burglary.
"The stronger sentiment in this story is that the industry is working together as a whole to help one another out, and that's what really is going to get us through much further than worrying about crime," Campbell said.
He said he's heard from other colleagues, too, and he said the notion that perception of crime might dissuade customers is a non-factor.
"It's folks from the neighborhood, it's people who see us from Instagram. The support has been pretty fantastic," he said.
