POWAY, Calif. — A restaurant owner in Poway is sounding the alarm after having her business broken into again Tuesday morning. The owner said her restaurant has been hit multiple times in the last year.
Nothing can prepare you for the shock of arriving at your business and finding your glass door smashed. Now Nikki Bubpha wants the community to know that these break-ins are happening over and over again.
Editors Note: After this story was initially published, we received additional information from the San Diego County Sheriff's Poway Station related to this business and the prior incidents reported to the authorities. According to Poway Station Command, there have been 3 incidents reported in the past 3 years involving Takhrai Thai including a case in August 2019 where this business was among approximately 50 businesses across multiple counties that were targeted by the same suspects. Poway Detectives were able to identify and arrest the suspects. Another burglary case was reported in August 2020. The third case was reported this week.
“This is our third time in a row. I think it’s too much for this town,” said Nikki Bubpha, Owner of Takhrai Thai Restaurant in Poway.
Bubpha has been in the restaurant business for 23 years and has owned Takhrai Thai in Poway for 15 years. She said her restaurant in Poway has a security system and surveillance cameras, but it was burglarized last December and twice already this year.
“We blocked everything inside so they know they cannot get in, so they're probably hurting themselves and then the alarm went off so then they ran away. So that’s a good thing,” Bubpha said.
Bubpha said she believes the thieves are looking for cash, but she doesn’t keep cash in the register overnight. She said she reported the burglaries to police but there’s not much they can do to prevent them.
“We don’t want this to happen to other small business owners. They are suffering already right now with the COVID and then now, with the robberies. So, I was thinking maybe to reach out to whomever, that we can get together and then watch over each other,” Bubpha said.
Bubpha is also heavily involved in the community. She donates food to first responders, organizes events and sets up COVID-19 sites for rapid testing and vaccinations.
Every time Takhrai Thai is broken into, Bubpha said she spends nearly $1,000 to get repairs. If you have any information about this incident, click here.
