It was supposed to be a grand reopening weekend for Yoli’s Cafe in Chandler. Instead, it turned into a nightmare.
The award-winning breakfast-and-lunch eatery had closed for 10 days to expand its tiny kitchen. Among the additions:Â four new burners and three more feet of griddle.
But instead of reopening as planned last Friday, the owners were filing police reports. Thieves broke into the four-year-old bungalow-turned-restaurant and stole most of its grill.
“It sucks,” chef-owner  Yolanda Fernandez told Channel 5. “People in this neighborhood have seen us for four years and some of them have seen us struggle. They’ve come in and been customers, and seen us grow … so it’s a little devastating to know that these are my own people who have done this.”
Now, Yoli’s is turning to its customers and the community for help. The restaurant has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $5,000 in five days, hoping to get 500 people to donate $10 apiece.
The money is needed not only to replace the stolen equipment, but also to pay Yoli’s eight employees who will be without a paycheck for at least another week.
You can make a donation here.
