Burglars break into beloved Berkeley, Albany businesses

Burglars broke into at least two Berkeley restaurants and another five in Albany over the holiday weekend, making a mess but finding little of value in at least some cases.

"We had no money in the place," said Greg Poulios, of Creekwood Restaurant in South Berkeley. "We don't keep it here."

That's in part because Creekwood has been targeted repeatedly by break-in crews, in December 2022 and again in January 2024.

It's also the reality for many Bay Area businesses, which have gone cashless to discourage robberies and other crimes, and keep staff and customers safe.

Over the weekend, thieves also broke into three.one four pizzeria in the Westbrae neighborhood and, reportedly, five Solano Avenue cafes, including Hal's Office coffee shop, As You Wish frozen yogurt, Bua Luang and Tay Tah Cafe.

There are some indications the break-ins may be related.

To date, police have announced no arrests.

Brandon Wilson, who owns three.one four pizzeria on Gilman Street, took to Nextdoor to express his frustration about the Labor Day break-in, along with a photo of his mangled safe.

"The work that they must have put in to get into that safe, the dedication, it blows my mind," he told The Scanner on Tuesday. "And, when they opened it, it was completely empty."

Wilson said it was the second burglary at his restaurant, which opened a year and a half ago in the longtime Lalime's space.

The first time, they smashed through the restaurant's large sliding-glass doors, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

This past weekend, neighborhood security footage showed the crew picking over the restaurant for something like five hours, Wilson said.

In addition to damaging property, they also stole thousands of dollars in liquor.

Wilson has a security system, but the burglars cut the power, rendering it useless, he said.

The break-in happened about 20 minutes after staff locked up the restaurant, armed the system and left Sunday night, he said.

The closing crew includes a husband and wife and their 13-year-old son.

"When I think about the danger that they could have been in, it's just really unsettling," he said. "Clearly, they were casing the place."

Four of the Albany businesses that were hit are clustered at Cornell and Solano avenues.

In addition to Bua Luang and Tay Tah, they included the frozen yogurt and coffee shops across the street: As You Wish and Hal's Office. Bonnee Elterman owns both.

All four of the shops are neighborhood institutions.

Elterman said the burglars shattered her glass doors to get inside. In one, they unbolted a safe and took it with them.

Security cameras captured the four-person crew at work.

"One would stand outside as the lookout," she said. "Three would go in and out. It took 10 minutes. They were very quick and specific with what they were looking for."

Elterman said her businesses are cashless so they didn't get much.

And she said she was grateful that it happened while the shops were closed and that no one had been hurt.

"It was a pain, don't get me wrong. And it also feels violating," she said, adding, with a small laugh, "I have signs all over that say 'we're cashless.' Why are you gonna go for us?"

Elterman said she had been moved, after the burglaries, when an Albany staffer came in to make sure she knew about a city-run grant program that would help pay for repairs.

"Albany is amazing," Elterman said Tuesday. Customers had also been coming in to express their sympathy and concern. "I feel very supported by the community."

Local residents have also taken to Facebook and other social media sites to discuss the recent break-ins — and brainstorm ways to help.

Brandon Wilson's Nextdoor post has drawn more than 100 comments, with people pledging to dine in to show their support and expressing anger and frustration at the burglars.

Wilson told The Scanner he was trying to focus on the positive, despite the setback.

"I couldn't afford to take that hit for sure," he said. "But, at the end of the day, I get to come in and be in service to our community. We're not gonna let anyone take that away from us."

Down at Creekwood Restaurant in South Berkeley, Greg Poulios said a staffer had alerted him to the break-in after getting to work Saturday morning.

Security footage showed the crew pull up in two vehicles.

"They got out. They had their crowbar. They started bashing," he said.

Creekwood's front door is made of heavy duty glass plate, reinforced, and the burglars were unable to break through both layers.

But they did manage to ruin the expensive doorframe and break the lock.

"They were cranking on the door but they couldn't get in," he said. "They did their damage, got back in their cars and drove off."

Poulios said the region's crime concerns had put steady pressure on his business.

His insurance had already been canceled three times, and reinstated with much higher premiums, even apart from the break-ins.

"They don't want to insure in the Berkeley-Oakland corridor," he said.

At a recent press conference, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was planning to convene local mayors to tackle the issue of public safety together, an acknowledgement of the longstanding regional struggle.

Assuming the effort gets off the ground, officials will have their work cut out for them.

This week, Poulios expressed appreciation for Berkeley police but also frustration with city policies that restrict officers from chasing suspects fleeing the scenes of property crimes.

"If they see them when they're inside a place, that's when they can go get them," he said. "But they're not allowed to chase them."

And, if the culprits make it to the Oakland border (which isn't far), they're essentially home free, he added.

Poulios said he's now considering whether to contact local leaders to lobby for a change in BPD policy so officers have more latitude in catching crooks.

"There's gotta be a balance," he said, "so people want to keep their business here."