Brigittes Sumner co-owner Michael Rowland-Jones said the offenders got out of a Toyota Yaris with T-shirts wrapped around their heads.
They ripped the front door handle off trying to enter the building before smashing the glass pane and reaching inside to open it.
The offenders pulled out the cash register, but the cafe does not keep cash on site overnight. They also stole three bottles of alcohol and knocked over a glass container of mints on their way out.
He declined to give the CCTV footage.
He said the damage was minor and more inconvenient than destructive and estimated it would cost about $1000 to fix.
He was alerted by the restaurant’s security company the alarm had been triggered.
After checking CCTV footage and seeing the offenders leave after the break-in, he contacted police the next morning.
This was Brigittes Sumner’s first break-in since opening on the esplanade in July last year, taking over from Sumner Social.
Rowland-Jones and Jeremy Stevens share ownership of the restaurant and Brigittes Merivale.
Police acting sergeant Paddy Sullivan said they were following lines of inquiry to find the offenders.
“We believe these offenders may have been involved in further offending in Christchurch between Sunday night and Monday morning,” he said.
Rowland-Jones said police told him the further offending occurred in Riccarton.
“It’s always concerning knowing people were breaking into your business,” he said.
“The most important thing was no staff members or customers were put in danger. It was just a victimless crime that is now costing the business money.”
- If you have any information that can assist with the investigation, contact police on 105 and use the reference number 260406/9044.
