SHERMAN OAKS—A Sherman Oaks restaurant announced they will no longer be accept cash after multiple robberies since opening seven months ago.
The owner of HomeState restaurant, Briana Valdez, who runs the business with her sister, stated that they have lost a total of $50,000 in stolen property, damages and cash.
The latest incident occurred on Thursday, February 9, around 12:30 a.m. where a suspect who was wearing a hoodie over a baseball cap and mask was caught on surveillance smashing the front window of their business and entered with another suspect. The case is currently under investigation.
“There has been a significant impact to our team’s morale and sense of safety as well as significant financial impacts. We have done our best to increase security but understand that cash is an incentivization for criminals to burglarize. While we’ve always believed that it’s important to accept cash to ensure accessibility for all, it’s our responsibility to take any and all measures to protect our team and our space,” the HomeState team wrote on Instagram on Friday, February 10.
On December 22, 2022, a suspect used a sledgehammer to break through the restaurant’s front door and stole cash from the safe.
According to reports, there have been an increase in smash and grab break-ins in Sherman Oaks and the greater Los Angeles region.
