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$800 Of Organic Wine, Charity Tip Jar Stolen From Strip District Restaurant During Break-In

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Owners of the tip-free Bar Marco restaurant in the Strip District are taking inventory after a burglar broke in earlier this week.

Among other things, the suspect got away with about two dozen bottles of organic wine from the wine cellar.

The restaurant manager, Joslynne McDonough, told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti the wine was worth at least $800 or more.

The thief didn't bother to take the most expensive wines.

"I don't know if there's a big underground market for natural wine [in Pittsburgh], but if anyone sees a lot of these bottles popping up, it's likely this is where they came from," McDonough said. "We're one of the few places in town which orders that type of wine."

Bar Marco last April announced it was implementing a no-tipping policy, but if customers still wanted to leave something, they could put money in a tip jar and it would go to charity.

The burglar who broke into the restaurant late Monday night or early Tuesday also make off with the charity tip jar, which was on a shelf over the bar area.

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McDonough said, "For someone to take that for all the wrong reasons is just really sad."

McDonough wants other businesses in the Strip District neighborhood to know about the burglary, so "they can be on heightened alert to maintain safety for their buildings and customers."

Pittsburgh Police are continuing their investigation into the break-in and burglary.

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