Hu believes an increasingly violent individual has been targeting two sites – one in Wharncliffe Road North and another under construction in Richmond Street – since late last month. “I understand the police are very busy,” said Hu, 27, who with her partner have opened five separate restaurants in three cities since 2020. “People who get away with this crime seem to think they can keep getting away with it, then it’s going to get worse,” said Hu, a student at Western University’s Ivey Business School. “It is important for the police to step up and take a proactive stance on this matter.” Julia Hu and her husband and partner, Qiyu Mao, stand outside their restaurant on Wharncliffe Road North. (Submitted by Julia Hu) The video captured a perpetrator on four separate occasions over eight days breaking doors and windows and attempting to open a cash box at both Mr. and Mrs. Bao’s locations. “Looking at the video, it looks like it’s the same person,” Hu said. “He’s not just the same person, he’s very focused and goes right for what he wants.” London Police are investigating the burglaries and said the case in Wharncliffe Road North has been assigned to members of the street crime unit. If someone is not happy with the police response, they should contact the Professional Standards Board (PSB), which deals with these types of complaints, said Const. Sandasha Bough. Hu has spent about $10,000 since late last month to deal with the fallout from the break-ins, replace doors, windows and locks and buy new iPads after the old ones were taken.
Restaurant burglar caught on camera
Security footage shows a restaurant burglar forcing his way into Mr. and Mrs. Bao. The owners of this London restaurant say they have been hit so many times they believe they are being targeted. “And then we can’t operate because it’s not a safe environment for our employees, and then there’s a loss of revenue,” Hu said. And that’s not all. “They are also very disrespectful. We found feces in the warehouse. They are playing pranks on us. They are flooding our basement,” Hu said. It is now beefing up security measures and has decided that its restaurants will no longer accept cash.
Racially motivated?
The person must have also taken a uniform, Hu said, because her team recently spotted a man wearing a Mr. and Mrs. Bao uniform on Dandas Street. “Obviously it wasn’t our staff,” Hu said. “We had told the police. We took a video of the guy and sent it to the police. The police didn’t even show up. And the guy eventually left.” Hu has other concerns. “A while back, we noticed that some Asian restaurants were being targeted in the GTA [Greater Toronto] area and we hoped that this would not happen to us,” he said. “But from the looks of things, we certainly can’t rule it out.”
