A Man Broke into a Closed Restaurant to Feast Like a King… But Not for Long

Everyone is under varying degrees of stress these days due to the coronavirus pandemic. People deal with the current situation in different ways.

For example, one Connecticut man decided to spend his lockdown days inside a restaurant closed because of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, things didn’t end well for him.

Four-Day Binge

Ortiz reportedly got inside the eatery through a side window on a Saturday

According to local news outlets, the said man spent some four days in the establishment helping himself to all the food and drinks he can manage to consume. He was identified to be a 42-year-old citizen named Louis Ortiz.

The restaurant he reportedly broke into was the Soul De Cuba Cafe, a home-style food fare eatery located on 283 Crown St, New Haven. The police initially didn’t name the place in their report.

The police also relayed that Ortiz did not only consume the restaurant’s food and drinks but also removed property and beverages from the establishment’s premises.

Getting Caught

In total, Ortiz allegedly stole or consumed some 70 bottles of liquor from the restaurant

Ortiz’s few days of living and eating like a king were ended when he was found by a manager who was checking on the restaurant. The culprit was reportedly asleep when the manager came.

Police officers were called and the man was detained on the street. Investigators then looked at Soul de Cuba Cafe’s security footage to determine how Ortiz managed to get inside the closed restaurant.

Since then, he has been charged with criminal mischief, burglary, and larceny. He was held on a bail of $12,500 and was arraigned a day after he was arrested by the New Haven Police, who also.

The restaurant’s management estimated that Ortiz’s four-day stay led to a loss of several thousand dollars.

Food Industry Blow

A reported 30,000 restaurants across the United States have closed

Soul de Cuba Cafe is only one of the many restaurants that temporarily closed its doors due to the coronavirus lockdowns. This led to some serious financial blows to these businesses as they lose income with people being ordered to stay in their homes.

Meanwhile, some dining establishments, both chains and some independently-owned have resumed operations. However, they mostly serve diners through takeout and delivery.

Restaurants have also rolled out stricter cleaning and food preparation procedures to ensure that their dishes stay hygienic.

While these limited operations can give these businesses cash flow again, some experts are still predicting a collapse in the industry with the sudden loss of revenue and mass layoffs of workers.