TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A midtown restaurant is facing unexpected expenses after allegedly falling victim to copper theft last week. Dante’s Kitchen and Cocktails had a metal fixture containing copper piping stolen, leading to costly repairs that far exceeded the value of the stolen material.
The piping connected with the restaurant’s water system. Employees noticed the restaurant lacking running water while readying for a catering event on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Restaurant owner and head chef Kenneth Foy said the thieves likely only made $50 to $75 from the copper. However, the restaurant was forced to pay $2,500 for plumbing repairs just to restore their water system.
“We went through three different plumbers before we could get one that could, you know, pretty much get in their truck and drive out here,” Foy said. “He was able to get all the parts sourced and replace it and had our water turned back on by 2:30.”
This is not the first time Dante’s Fire has been targeted. Over the years, the restaurant has dealt with stolen equipment, trash cans and even break-ins. Foy recalled a recent incident where someone threw a rock through the restaurant’s window after they installed security protections for their Wi-Fi system.
“It doesn’t have any value to them but the scrap value, but the replacement value to us is extreme,” Foy said. “For us to spend twenty-five hundred to replace it, they’re not getting ahead and we’re really getting behind.”
Foy emphasized the difficulties facing independent restaurants, especially in the current economic climate. Rising food and labor costs have already made operations more challenging, and theft only adds to the burden.
In the past two weeks, Tucson has seen the closures of Ermano’s on 4th Avenue, along with La Cave’s bakery, which had been a Tucson staple since 1935.
“I sense that the market is thinning a little bit because we’ve had a lot of closures in the last four to six weeks that I can think of,” Foy said. “It’s a tough environment right now, especially for the independent mom and pops.”
Foy is calling for more police presence in the area to help deter crime and additional support from the city for businesses impacted by vandalism. One specific request is for the city to waive permitting fees when businesses are forced to make emergency repairs due to theft or vandalism.
“We have to pay a permit fee for having the plumber replace that,” Foy explained. “When it’s vandalism, it’d be nice for the city to waive the permitting fee required for that installation.”
The restaurant owner hopes that by shedding light on the issue, city officials and law enforcement will take further steps to address the growing problem of theft and vandalism in midtown Tucson.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
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