The damage to Baltimore’s restaurant industry is still being tallied as authorities struggle to quell the rioting and violence that began over the weekend, but news and social media reports indicate that a number of dining places, including a century-old landmark, were damaged in the protests.
The owners of Trinacria Café, a two-year-old sister of the 107-year-old Trinacria Deli, said in a Facebook post that the café was gone. “Café has been destroyed. Deli is next. Thanks Baltimore," read the message.
Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli was robbed by a group of protesters on Saturday. It shut on Sunday and opened for an hour on Monday before the rioting prompted management to shut the place again.
Looters also robbed Hip Hop Fish & Chicken, taking $10,000 from the soul food restaurant. A group of protesters then descended on a second location nearby and broke open a safe. The loss from the second robbery was not disclosed, but reports noted that the windows were smashed.
Rick Dempsey, a former Orioles and Yankees catcher, said his namesake restaurant had suffered only a broken window and some battering to its door. The place is located near Camden Yards, the epicenter of the rioting.
Reporters on the scene say the city has been quiet Tuesday morning, with residents cleaning up the debris. But authorities fear that more violence could erupt.
National Guard troops and police officers from surrounding areas have descended on the city to restore order after protests of Freddie Gray’s death erupted into violence and looting. The young man died of injuries suffered while he was in police custody.
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