small business damaged after robbery

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A family-owned burger joint experienced a nightmare before Christmas.

“I basically just left here on my way home, we get the alarm notification. We look at the camera, we see people inside, so we rush here,” said Harold Riley.

It’s been a rough start to the holidays for Riley and his business, Burger Beach HideAway. Early Monday morning, he received an alarm notification. So he returned to his restaurant, arriving about three minutes after an alleged robber left the building.

Riley said the thief entered using crowbars through two back doors.

Only one person was caught on camera in Riley’s security footage. The person on the camera is seen behind the bar, flipping through the register. Riley said there was no money left in the register, just $40 in rolls of quarters for the pool tables. It was the damage from the break-in that hurt the restaurant.

“Rear frames, alarm system,” Riley said. “It was a big deal and we thought our insurance would cover it and they said it wasn’t covered. So that’s how things work.”

Riley is looking at anything between $5,000 and $10,000 in damages, in any case, that’s money that’s not in the budget.

“It’s a lot, you know what I mean. We don’t mess with anyone and try to do what we can for the community. To get hit like that and right before Christmas, it really hurts. Like I said, everything is replaceable, the damage is what’s really, really hard for us.”

Two back doors, an office door and the security and alarm system were damaged in the robbery.

Riley said police are investigating the break-in.

Riley said his loyal regulars have expressed their support for him and his business. He doesn’t ask for any help, but Riley just asks for support for his business. He said people can show their support by coming in for a bite.

Burger Beach HideAway is located at 6109 McArdle Rd.

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