SEATTLE — The morning after Big Mario's Northlake Tavern reopened following a seven-month renovation, windows were smashed and money was stolen from the business.
The robbery occurred at approximately 4 a.m. on Thursday morning. In addition to breaking the windows, the business's safe was breached.
The company said the grand re-opening was a success, with hundreds of pizza lovers stopping by for a slice over the course of the day.
"It was great, we had a lot of people come through, from open to close. It was a mixed audience all day long, from old Northlake customers, Big Mario's customers, we were very happy with it, and it was, it went pretty smoothly," said Jason Lajeunesse, owner of Big Mario's.
Lajeunesse said the Northlake Tavern's neighbors texted him around 4 a.m. to let him know the second-story windows had been broken in. When he arrived at the restaurant around 8 a.m. this morning, he discovered the burglar had gotten away with a little over $1,000.
As a result, Big Mario's Northlake Tavern opted not to accept cash on Thursday while the security system was installed. Now that it's functional, business will resume as normal on Friday.
Though Lajeunesse was disappointed by the burglary, he was not surprised.
"Honestly, it's Seattle, this is not uncommon," Lajeunesse said. "I mean, I have a business partner who has a business that's been broken into seven times this year. One of my other businesses, we've been broken into three times in the last eighteen months. I hate to say it but it's sort of part of doing business in Seattle at this point."
Northlake Tavern and Pizza House in the University District closed in January when its owner retired after 65 years in business.
Big Mario’s New York Style Pizza, which has three other Seattle locations, took over the business and reopened the shop as Big Mario’s Northlake Tavern.
The team originally planned a two-month closure to do kitchen work, but it turned into a seven-month renovation project after discovering wood rot in the original bar, kitchen, floor, bar cabinets and office. Crews also built a new storefront due to water damage.