More than two months after owner Raymunda Ramirez celebrated El Faroโs recognition as a San Francisco legacy business, she found herself wondering about its future. Two break-ins over the weekend have made her question keeping it.
โMy family is insisting that I sell the business,โ said a teary Ramirez. โI just canโt wrap my head around living without it. Iโve spent the last 45 years of my life here, and the restaurant has been open since 1961.โย
Ramirez, who gets to the restaurant at 2399 Folsom St. 5:30 a.m. to prepare for opening at 7 a.m., said she found the glass door of the business broken when she arrived last Saturday. She immediately called the police, and waited for about 90 minutes for an officer to show up and take a report of the incident.
Ramirez said the intruders had taken a box full of tax documents and receipts, plus a key that opened a cabinet door where she kept more keys. One opened a cabinet whereย Ramirez kept the restaurantโs savings, the money from the weekโs sales and a small container with vintage coins. On a regular Saturday, she would have taken the money from the week home. On that day, however, she left it because she was missing the key.
On Sunday, someone returned to clear out the cash โ $20,000 in all.ย
โI saw all the doors of the cabinets were open. They were all empty, there was nothing,โ said an emotional Ramirez. โI couldnโt even speak.โ
Ramirez said the police told her that the intruders had used a tool to force the doors open. Someone had taken the keys and coins her husband had been collecting and spilled them on the floor near the entrance to the restaurant.
The intruders also took most of the candy that sits behind the counter.
โI never thought they would come back the very next day,โ said Ramirez, who could not be sure that the intruders were the same people who came in on Saturday.
Following the business losses this weekend, Ramirezโs niece set up a GoFundMe on Sunday with an end goal of $25,000 to support the restaurant. So far, $2,645 has been raised.
โThis is a family-owned business, and my aunt works extremely hard every day to keep it running, but with these attacks, it is becoming extremely hard and exhausting,โ read the statement in the GoFundMe.
Ramirez, 64, a native from the central state of Durango, Mexico, started working at the restaurant in 1980. After two decades, she decided to buy the business, an investment she hoped would carry her economically until her retirement.
On Tuesday afternoon, sitting at one of the tables at the restaurant, Ramirez reflected on how her plans to retire in two years may be affected after the break-ins last weekend.
โWe had been saving a little bit here and a little bit there, you know, with a lot of work,โ said Ramirez. โThey took all that money. Almost $20,000 that we had in our safe for a rainy day.โ
For years, the restaurant has been a family operation. Ramirez works side-by-side with her daughter, Patricia Kocourek, six days a week, while her husband drives to the restaurant depot to buy ingredients.
โIt’s more expensive to have them bring a truck and bring everything,โ said Kocourek. โAlso, when they do bring everything, they don’t pick out the best selection. So we get shitty products.โ
When asked if she would have enough money to pay rent for the following month, Ramirez took a long look around the restaurant and said she wasnโt sure.
โWeโre slow right now, so, I just donโt know,โ said Ramirez, who encouraged customers to come in and try the secret sauce she puts in every burrito.ย ย
The San Francisco Police Department said that officers responded to both incidents and that no arrest or suspects have been made. This is an open investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
I hope they catch the thieves soon.
Maybe my ignorance of the restaurant business is showing but……how can you keep so much money on-site (as opposed to a big chunk of it in a bank account)? Is this common practice? That said…GoFundMe here I come
Saying that she kept so much cash on site could be an oops in relation to taxes. Anyway, a student introduced me to their super burrito in the 1980s and I got hooked. They’re nice people who provide a place for folks to eat out and chill. I too will check out the GoFundMe site.
Now comes the part where you tell us Crime Is Down.
It’s hard to do a search for stories on break-ins, ATM thefts, and so on, but in 30 years, I’ve never heard of so many business thefts. How many stories have you read about “car smashes into building to steal ATM”? Within a small radius, think of the Mitchell’s Ice Cream, Rock Bar, Happy Donut break-ins. It’s insane. It’s a whole new category of crime that you never read about 5 or more years ago, probably perpetrated by a small group. If only law enforcement were fans of enforcing laws.
I can’t tell your point. Is it either that 1) Crime is clearly not down, because this anecdotal evidence is all the info we need? If that’s your point, then it’s just wrong. Or is it 2) that, sure, crime may be down, but that doesn’t matter to these restaurant owners? If so, then …. sure, but you realize crime will never be zero, right?
Ever.
Sadly San Francisco does not know how to deal with Drug problems, Homeless problems and petty crimes..Time to get tough on all 3 of these issues that are making San Francisco the least most favorable place to visit!