'Please Come Downtown': Zen Box Izakaya Owner Calls On Community To Return To Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Zen Box Izakaya was closed for business Monday. Of course, that didn't stop the burglars.
"They went directly for this window and they crawled through the dining room on all fours," Owner Lina Goh said.
Goh's security system wasn't working, but her cameras were. The thieves are seen working quickly, trying to kick open the storage room door, not knowing there was no loot to be found.
"We don't take cash anymore, it's just credit cards so they left empty-handed but now we're left with a broken window and a semi-broken storage door," Goh said. "This is not what we needed in this time."
The break-in is a headache but Goh says she's more concerned about how slow business has been. At their low point in June, she and her husband were doing just 10% of their normal business.
"It plummeted to the point where we were close to giving up," Goh said.
And she thinks it's more than the pandemic. Goh says it's the perception that the city is unsafe and that people can get away with breaking the law.
I think people are just afraid to come to Minneapolis, seeing and hearing of what's going on now," Goh explained. "Its really affecting all the businesses and the people living downtown."
There are a bunch of ground floor apartments near the restaurant and one of the residents actually called Goh to tell her about the broken window. WCCO spoke to some other people who live here who say they love their neighborhood.
"This just makes me sad," Anders Bengston explained. "All of our neighbors are sticking together, we're not leaving you know this is our home."
"Please come downtown," Goh added. "There are places that need the support from the community."
